Evidence of What Could Be
by Liv-and-Love
Summary: Through a series of heinous crimes involiving drugs, rape, and murder by someone surprisingly familiar, Olivia and Alex discover they want to be more than friends. In fact, it's evident to everyone what they could have together.
1. Chapter 1: Thud, Bang!

Title: Evidence of What Could Be

Chapter 1: Thud, Bang!

**A/N: As I start this story, I have a vague notion of where I plan on taking it. However, you can bet that it will be action packed with an interlacing love relationship (A/O!) Just a little background: Alex is working for the International Task Force Bureau, but is stationed in New York and Olivia has been visiting whenever she gets the chance. As you will see, some flirtatious testing of the waters has started.**

It was the dead of night. The darkness illuminated the street corner, except for the small lamp light that hung outside the front porch of the apartment building. It was perfect for hiding the SVU squad.

Elliot and Olivia were stationed directly across the street in their squad car. Fin and John were down the street, loitering at a nearby convenience store.

The neighborhood, however, wasn't as quiet. Dogs barked at oncoming cars and passers-by. Neighbors could be heard yelling through the thin walls of the apartment complex, and sirens sounded in the background.

Elliot peaked in his rearview mirror at the sound of glass breaking. It was just another homeless man who had dropped his bottle and was starting to stumble into the nearby alleyway. Elliot picked up his dispatch radio and spoke into it, "All is ready to move."

"Wait." Olivia gripped Elliot's arm when she saw two little girls around the age of six walk out of the apartment building.

"Disregard, please stand by." Elliot put down the radio and took a closer look at the girls.

One sat on the stoop of the complex and the other seemed to be drawing on the sidewalk leading up to the apartment building.

Olivia's mouth dropped as she watched the one girl who was drawing. She turned to Elliot, "She's using spray paint to draw a hop scotch outline."

Elliot shrugged. "Maybe they were out of chalk."

Liv huffed, "More likely big brother is getting some action or scoring drugs, and sent the girls out with his tagging can to play."

One of Elliot's eyebrows went up. Too bad Olivia was probably right. He picked up his radio again, "Finn, come in."

"Tutuola here."

"Get those girls out of the way; preferably off this street corner." Elliot released the talk button on the radio and waited for Fin to answer.

"You got it."

Olivia peered out the window of the car. Fin had started walking toward the girls, but they ran off before he could get close. They seemed too used to this scenario already.

This time it was Fin who called in over the radio, "Coast is clear to move." Fin discreetly put the radio away and moved to the back of the complex.

Liv and Elliot quickly and quietly dashed from their car into the complex. When they entered, they rushed up the stairs and came to the top level.

They stood at the entrance to the door, one on either side, catching their breaths. Both of them drew their guns.

El looked to Liv.

Olivia nodded, giving him the go ahead.

He picked up his heel and smashed in the door. "Police! Everybody down on the ground!"

Olivia entered behind him, gun drawn. "Down on the ground NOW!" She shouted.

Four men were sitting at a table in the middle of the kitchen. Two of them went to the floor.

Elliot moved to cuff the two.

The other two men split; one in each direction.

Olivia went after the one closer to her.

The perp exploded through the door and into the living room. He paused for a moment deciding which way to make his escape.

That pause gave Olivia just the time she needed to catch up. She moved to apprehend him, but he lunged out of her grasp. Then she heard a loud thud.

Elliot had burst through the opposite door of the circular apartment and rammed into him, sending him flying against the wall.

He collapsed on the ground in a heap of his own sweat and blood.

Olivia bent over the perp and placed her cuffs around his wrist. "Roscoe Alvarez, you are under arrest for rape, murder, and . . ." Olivia looked around the room, "And the possession and distribution of narcotics."

Elliot stood from his hunched over position after catching his breath. He looked around the room, at the scales, small baggies, and the cocaine sitting visibly at a nearby coffee table. "Well, that's an added bonus."

Liv stood Roscoe up when she heard a faint clicking and the drawback of a gun.

Elliot heard it too, but neither of them had time to react before the shot rung in their ears. Then two more shots rang out.

Roscoe's body flew back against the wall, creating a blood smear trail down the wall as he slid down it and collapsed in a heap at Olivia's feet. There was a bullet right between his eyes.

Liv looked up, trembling.

Elliot took out his gun and ran into the next room. The other two perps had been shot, execution style, and the gunman was nowhere to be found.

"Elliot, Olivia, come in. I heard shots fired. Is everyone ok?" It was Fin over the radio.

Elliot's shoulders slumped. He picked up his radio and pressed the button, "Three suspects have been shot by an unknown assailant, the fourth escaped."

"I caught a kid running out the back of the building."

Olivia headed for the door. "Hopefully that's our shooter."

"OK," Elliot said into the radio and began to follow Liv out the door, "We'll need to call CSU and the FDA to the scene."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Alex crunched on some raw carrots as she sat at her desk across from Olivia on her lunch break. "So was it the shooter that Fin caught?"

Olivia shook her head and leaned forward. She placed her elbows on her knees. "No, he was just one of the dealers that we busted."

"Obviously it wasn't the cartel." Alex stated as she sat her lunch down and crossed her arms across her desk. "They would have shot you and Elliot too." Alex furrowed her brow; a forlorn look crossed her face.

Olivia sighed and leaned back in her chair again. She threw her hands up and ran her fingers through her hair. "I know. We both SHOULD have been shot."

Alex smiled sadly, "But you weren't… You must still be here for a reason." A comfortable silence rose between them for a moment. Alex let her eyes rest on Liv, who was staring out the window of her office. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

The comment brought Olivia's attention back to Alex. A certain looked passed between them.

Olivia was about to respond, she was about to push the boundaries a little more, but the phone buzzed.

It was Alex's secretary, "Ms. Cabot, you have a call on line two."

Alex grunted, "Ok, thanks Josie."

Olivia stood up, "I got to get back to the precinct, or Cragen will have my ass."

Alex stood to walk Olivia out. When they got to the door, Alex leaned up against it, letting her head tilt to one side. "I'm having a dinner party at my place Friday evening to celebrate my birthday. Would you like to come?"

Olivia slid her jacket on and responded, "I'd love to." She paused, trying to judge Alex's reaction.

Alex glanced down, but quickly looked back up. "Good," She said with a grin and then walked back into her office to get the phone.

Olivia walked out of the office building and began the short walk back to the precinct. She smiled like a school girl as she went over in her mind all that Alex had just said. It wasn't just her speech that made her blush, but her subtle movements. She wasn't for certain, but surely Alexandra had been flirting with her. Then, all of a sudden, she paused in her steps. Dread filled her, _what on earth am I going to buy Alex for her birthday?_

**So anyone know who shooter is? Kootoes to you if you figure it out! Thanks for reading my first chapter, reviews are always loved! ^-^ **


	2. Chapter 2: Clink, Clink, Clink

Chapter 2: Clink, Clink, Clink

Olivia could hear each step she took as she walked out of the elevator and to the door of Alex's apartment. It wasn't everyday that she wore heels and a dress. She clutched the small gift wrapped box in her left hand as she reached up and knocked on the door.

The door swung open, and Alexandra stood there in a stunning red dress with a delightful smile to greet her. "Come on in." Alex said and stepped to the side to let Liv through.

Lots of guests had already arrived and were mingling about with drinks in their hands.

Olivia stepped through and then handed the small box to Alex. "I wasn't sure exactly what to get you, but I hope you like it."

Alex examined the expertly wrapped gift box with a gold bow tied on top and grinned. "You didn't have to get me anything." She blushed and then added, "You being here is gift enough." With a twinkle in her eye, Alex turned to place the gift on the bar to be opened later. As much as Alex wanted to rip off the packaging, she retained her composure and then walked back over to Olivia.

One of the other guests meandered over to where Alex and Olivia were standing. He stuck out his hand to Olivia, "Hi, I don't believe we've met."

Alex rolled her eyes, but then made the proper introductions. "This is Deputy District Attorney Jim Steele, he used to work for me when I was Bureau Chief." Then she turned to Jim and introduced Olivia, "Jim, this is Detective Olivia Benson."

"Ah," Jim shook Olivia's hand, "I've heard so much about you; nice to finally meet you."

Olivia raised her eyebrows and looked to Alex who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well it's good to meet you too; I hope everything you heard was good."

"Of course, maybe we could . . ." Jim was cut off midsentence when Alex took Olivia by the shoulders and started to lead her away.

"It's about time for dinner." Alex said to Jim and as she led Liv to the seat next to hers at the table, she whispered under her breath, "He's only here out of necessity."

The other guests joined Alex at the table and began to dissect their dinner. The night went smoothly, but when it came time for dessert, Olivia's cell phone rang. It was Cragen's ring tone.

Olivia excused herself and let Alex walk her to the door.

"I wish you could stay longer, but duty calls." Alex stood outside her apartment, with the door slightly cracked for privacy.

Olivia pursed her lips and looked at Alex, "I'd much rather spend the rest of the night with you."

"You can take a rain check." Alex suggested expectantantly.

Olivia grinned at the suggestion, "I think I'll do that."

Alex smiled and nodded as she watched Olivia walk back to the elevator and then she rejoined her dinner guests for the rest of the evening.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

It had started to drizzle outside when Olivia reached the crime scene. She pulled up close to the yellow tape behind the bar. A bar tender stood talking to a detective under the overhang that hung over the back exit of the bar's door.

As she got closer to the body, a glimmer of recognition flashed. She knew this girl.

One of the detectives walked over to Olivia, "The bartender over there saw her leave out that door and not but five minutes later, he heard one shot go off and found her like this."

Olivia bent down to get a closer look at the girl. She laid on her back with one leg fully extended and the other one bent halfway and crossed over her opposite knee. Her upper body was turned so that one shoulder stood off the ground and her arm slumped over her body. Olivia removed a tendril of curly black hair off her face.

Liv clenched her jaw and felt that knot in her chest grow. She looked at the bullet hole between her eyes, expertly placed, but no residue. And with the placement of her body, it was obvious that she had tried to run, but never got the chance.

Despite her grief at having known the victim, even only briefly, she remained business like. She stood and faced the detective that was still standing there. The rain had picked up and it was now sprinkling harder. She could feel the drops as they dripped over her face and down her arms and legs. "There are no signs of a sexual assault."

"No," the detective said, "But, we found your business card in her wallet. Did you know her?" The detective asked, but seemed to already know the answer.

Olivia looked back down at the girl, still in her mid twenties, and sighed before she turned back to the detective. "Her name is Lisa Maria. I met her last year when her sister, Yvonne, was raped, but refused to press charges." Her heart still heavy, she continued, "Yvonne was arrested three weeks later for possession of a controlled substance; it was her third strike."

The detective seemed to be more empathetic than other homicide detectives. Perhaps he was just new on the team. He put away his notebook that was catching more rain than notes and said, "We found evidence of a blood stain on the neckline of her shirt." He pointed to the spot and then continued, "We had our analyst rush a sample before the rain washed everything away."

"It could be the shooters." Olivia said hopefully.

The medical examiner's techs pulled up close to the body. They unzipped a black body bag, and prepared it for Lisa Maria.

The rain began to fall harder, but the detectives weren't yet ready to leave the scene. Red, yellow, and blue lights continued to spin, illuminating the darkness behind the alley.

The detective began again, "The blood belongs to Shelly Rodriguez, the recently paroled cell mate of the girl you were talking about, Yvonne."

Olivia's eyebrows went up. This was not coincidence.

"We've got an APB out for her, but we thought you'd like to be the one to question Yvonne."

Olivia looked down, an imperceptible look of terror filled her, but she regained her equanimity and shook her head in agreement.

The other detective said goodbye and proceeded to get out of the rain. The ME Techs had taken the body, and the bartender and other detective had both left the scene. The lights of the police cars had disappeared. The previously bustling noise of the detectives, techs, and sirens were now replaced by the constant hum of the rain hitting the pavement.

Everyone had had left; Olivia stood there, alone in the rain. She let it wash over her; her dress lay heavily against her body, and her hair became matted. She willed her body to keep from shivering. She could feel her heart beating heavily inside her chest. She closed her eyes, but all she heard was the clink, clink, clink of a riot stick glazing across prison bars. To interview Yvonne, she would have to go to Sealview.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Alex closed the door behind her last guest to leave for the evening. She slumped up against the back of the door and sighed as she gazed around at her apartment. Most of the mess would have to wait until the next day, but she did grab some dishes and took them to the sink.

She let them clatter together as she dumped them in the sink. It had been a long night. She enjoyed the company of her friends and coworkers, but the mess afterwards had always given her reason to stray away from these types of parties. She had held out hope however that Olivia would have been able to stay the whole night, and perhaps, maybe, just maybe something more could have become of their friendship.

She turned off the running water and looked up to see the gift that lay unopened on her bar. It was the one from Olivia. She poured herself another small glass of red wine and then took the gift from its nesting spot.

Alex wandered into the bathroom and laid the present and wine down on the edge of her jacuzzi tub. She started the warm water and then pulled her hair up into a clip. She slowly slipped out of the red dress she was wearing and kicked off her heels.

She lowered herself down into the tub and when the water had more than halfway engulfed her, she reached up with her toes and turned off the faucet.

She took a sip from her wine glass and then gingerly picked up the present. She clasped the ribbon between her fingers and pulled at the bow. It easily came united. She lifted the wrapping paper off and uncovered a box. She opened the lid and was startled to see a wire wrapped, garnet teardrop swarovski suspended from a silver chain. The red of her birthstone was dazzlingly bright, and daring. It matched the dress she had been wearing earlier that night.

Alexandra placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it together. She leaned back against the tub and closed her eyes. She would have to go personally thank Olivia tomorrow. And, if she could muster the courage, ask her out on a real date.

**A/N: Who is the mystery shooter? Are the two crimes correlated? What does it have to do with Sealview, if anything… Could drugs be the deciding factor? And, will Alex be able to ask Olivia out? I love to hear what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3: Shattered

Chapter 3: Shattered

**A/N: In this chapter, I included flashbacks of season 9's Undercover episode. If you think they might trigger your own flashbacks, PLEASE skip over the indented italics (formatting wouldn't let me indent, so they're now bolded). However, this will probably be a longer chapter, concluding with a confession… or something like it. I could break up the chapters more, but I have to finish a thought when I start writing! Also, I'm challenging myself this story in that I want you to be able to "hear" all of my chapter titles, and hopefully they correlate with the plot line. So, as the physical objects in this story shatter into pieces, so our detective gets help picking up the shards of her own "Shattered" life. Enjoy!**

Olivia took in a deep breath and entered the Sealview Correctional Facility. The door clanged shut behind her, making her heart skip a beat; but she didn't falter as she walked directly to where she needed to go.

"Can I see your ID please?" A large, lady officer sat on a round stool behind the check in counter.

Olivia showed her detectives badge to the officer and signed in at the desk. "I'm Detective Olivia Benson. I called earlier this morning to set up an interview."

The officer's voice remained monotone from years of sitting at the front desk, logging in visitors, detectives, and prisoners. She waved to another officer standing nearby. "Please hand over all weapons, pens, badges, hell-hand over everything, and this officer will escort you."

The next officer was tall, and well built. His head donned a short crop cut, and you could see his muscles bulging from underneath his long sleeved shirt. The guard buzzed the gate and it groaned as he opened it.

Now without her weapons, Olivia proceeded through the gate. Her nerves were already on edge. Thank god this officer was black, or he would have reminded her of Harris.

He led her down the narrow corridor toward an interview room. The key pad on the door beeped as he input the code and then opened the door for her once again. "I'll be waiting outside this door. Another officer will be bringing the inmate by shortly."

She walked into the room and closed her eyes. She jumped as the door seemingly slammed shut behind her.

_**She was on that mattress again. "Get off me. HELP!"**_

_**He was kneeling behind her. "Keep screaming, no one can hear you."**_

Olivia shook her head and took another deep breath. She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to clear the memory.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

"Damn it!" Cragen yelled as he slammed phone down. Don burst through his office door and walked directly to where Elliot was sitting at his desk talking with Alex.

"How long has Olivia been gone?" Cragen asked Elliot.

El shrugged and looked down at his watch. "A little over an hour and a half."

Cragen shifted his weight and put his hands on his hips. "Did she tell you where she was going?"

At that, Elliot and Alex got worried. Elliot stood up to face the captain, and Alex followed.

"She told me she was going to do an interview for a case she worked a while ago." Elliot furrowed his eyebrows, and crossed his arms over his chest, wondering what she was actually up to.

"I just got a call from homicide. They were trying to get a hold of Olivia to find out if she got any new information from a prisoner at Sealview."

Elliot turned around and kicked his desk, hard. His foot clashed with the metal. The sound reverberated through the squad room. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know." Cragen pointed his finger at Elliot, "But you better get there, fast."

Elliot threw on his coat and rushed out of the squad room.

"Wait!" Alex's heels clicked, only paces behind him.

Elliot paused and spun around. They were at the entrance to the elevators.

"I want to go with you." Alex said.

Elliot shook his head, "She wouldn't want you to see her like this."

Alex stood her ground, "I don't care what she thinks she wants. I love her." The words just came out. Elliot wasn't meant to be the first one to hear the confession. Hell, she hadn't even heard herself say those words until now. But one thing was for certain. She had to see Olivia. "So," Alex continued, "I'm coming with you."

Elliot stood there, shocked, no words could form. When the elevator door sounded, he ushered Alex inside.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia drummed her fingers on the table as she waited for Yvonne. _What the hell is taking them so long?_

To her left, a one way mirror covered most of the wall. She looked over at herself, but saw an entirely different picture.

_**Her back was up against the wall. He had her jaw clutched in his hand. **_

"_**I'm gonna take my time with you." **_

_**She saw herself crying, begging, "Don't. Please don't. Please. . ."**_

_**His mouth engulfed her own in a sordid kiss. **_

Olivia stood up from her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. She shouldn't be reliving this. It had been years since the assault, but being back here, it all came rushing back like a flood threatening to consume her.

The images stopped when she heard the beeping of the door.

Yvonne was escorted into the room and sat down at the table.

Olivia watched the officer leave and then went and sat down across from Yvonne.

"I told you, I didn't want to press charges. What are you doing here?" Yvonne asked.

Olivia sighed and leaned forward in her chair. "I have some bad news about your sister."

Yvonne leaned back in her chair. "O god! Did they get to her?"

Olivia tilted her head to the side, trying to read anything in Yvonne's reactions. "She was shot . . . death was instantaneous."

"NO!" She screamed and then hunched over her knees, clinging to them. Her curly black hair fell over her face.

Olivia got up from her chair and knelt down. "Did who get to her?"

Yvonne's tear stained eyes looked up at Olivia. "I know who you are. I know what happened to you here."

"_**Please don't, please don't."**_

_**She was being thrown face down on the dirty mattress, hands cuffed behind her back. **_

_**She heard his belt fall to the ground.**_

She shook her head at Yvonne, "That has nothing to do with what happened to your sister."

Yvonne's eyes pierced right through her own when she gritted through her teeth, "It has everything to do with it."

Yvonne stood and started banging on the door. "Guards! Guards! Get me out of here."

Both guards marched in and shoved her against the wall. They handcuffed her again and led her out of the interview room.

_**He was picking her up off the mattress. He pushed her face against the wall.**_

"_**Shut up!" **_

_**She screamed. She could feel him pressed against her, all of him. **_

_**He undid one handcuff and she took a swing at him.**_

The door opened again, the same officer that brought her in, held the door open for her.

She walked through and headed directly to the front gate. She was buzzed through.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Elliot started up the squad car and Alex slid into the seat beside him. He took off in the direction of Sealview.

"So . . .you and Liv?" Elliot asked.

Alex shifted in her seat, "Well, not exactly. I mean, I think we could really have something, but I just have to muster up the courage to actually ask her out." Alex looked over to Elliot, "What do you think?"

A smile danced across Elliot's face, but he tried to conceal it. "You two have been friends for a very long time. But, I think there's a reason she visits you every chance she gets." Elliot glanced over at Alex who was looking extremely vulnerable at that moment. "I don't care who she's with, as long as she's happy. But I swear, if you break her heart . . ."

Alex reached over and placed a reassuring touch on Elliot's arm and looked out of the window on her side. "If any heart would break, it'd be mine." She let her hand fall back into her own lap and continued to stare out of her window.

Elliot nodded in understanding. "She'd be dumb not to say yes to you."

Alex looked back at Elliot. "You think she will?"

Elliot shrugged, "With that woman, I can never tell." Elliot laughed, "Just look where we're headed!"

Alex smiled as the tension broke.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia grabbed her things quickly and rushed out of the door and slid into her squad car. She started the car and began heading back to her apartment.

_**She was running.**_

_** "There's no way out."**_

_** She hears the riot stick clattering against a chain link fence. He's looking for her.**_

_** "You wanna play games? Good, cause I know them all."**_

** He's kicking over the chairs. A crate is smashed.**

_**She's hiding in the corner.**_

Digging out her cell, she sees seven missed calls. One was from the homicide department, one from Cragen, and five from Elliot.

Deciding that it would be easier to text than to try to explain herself over the phone without breaking down into tears, she started writing.

The text read: "I'm fine, but I'm taking the rest of the evening off, don't bother coming by. I didn't get any information. I'm turning off my cell now. I'll be home in twenty."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Elliot felt his pocket vibrate and dug out his cell. It was a text from Olivia. "Damn it." He hit the steering wheel of his car with the palm of his hand.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

He began to turn his car around, and looked down at his watch. _Thirty minutes is how long it would take them to get to her apartment. _"Olivia is already heading back to her apartment."

Alex looked concerned, "She's taking the rest of the day off?"

"Yeah . . . It's unlike her." Elliot said.

Alex clenched her jaw, now angry. "Seeing the prison must have affected her more than she thought it would."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia was driving, but she wasn't paying close attention to the road. She knew the roads of New York City, so it was only by second nature that she made her way back to her apartment.

_**She could see the light from the flashlight making its way toward her.**_

_** "Wanna play hide and seek? When I find you, you're it!"**_

_** The light fell on her. She looked up to see his face. He was bleeding from where she hit him.**_

_** "Guess who's ass is mine now."**_

_** She threw her hands up in surrender, "Ok, ok . . . you win." **_

She blinked to keep her eyes from tearing up. She parked her car in the garage and took a deep breath as she climbed out of the car. The hallways were quiet as she made her way to her door. 4D. She stuck the key in the door and opened it and walked into her apartment, her sanctuary.

_**"That's more like it." He let her stand up. "Come here."**_

_** She kept her hands up as she eased toward him. "Easy, easy."**_

_** "Don't worry." He lied.**_

_** He struck her in the gut with his riot stick. She's bent over, clutching her stomach. Then she feels another strike, one on her back, and she falls to the floor.**_

_** "That's to show you who's in charge."**_

She could feel the pain now. She closed and locked the door behind her. She tried to walk into her living room, but didn't make it. Her legs began to give way under her, but she refused to accept it. She leaned against the wall near her kitchen, trying to catch her breath.

_**She was on her knees.**_

_** He was coming for her.**_

_** It was her last chance; she elbowed him in the crotch and ran to the door.**_

_** He was bent over in pain.**_

_** The door was locked. "HELP! HELP ME!" She began banging on the door.**_

_**He slapped her across the face. The sting begins to throb. He cuffs her to the door.**_

_** "No. NO! No . . ." She cries.**_

Olivia was crying now, the tears falling freely. Her anger was rising. She grabbed the first thing she saw, - a white dinner plate. She threw it against the floor in her kitchen.

The plate shattered into tiny pieces.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Elliot and Alex pulled up to Olivia's apartment.

Alex got out quickly, but Elliot stayed in the car.

When Alex realized Elliot wasn't getting out of the car, she bent down and opened the door again. "Aren't you coming?"

Elliot looked down and dug in his pocket. When he looked back up at Alex, he held out a key. "She won't want to see me right now."

Alex took the key in understanding.

"Take care of her?" Elliot asked.

Alex nodded, "Of course."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia grabbed another plate and threw it.

_**"Let go of me." She was looking at her cuffs, then at the man who had her trapped.**_

_** He was unzipping his pants, "If you bite me . . . you're dead."**_

Liv screamed out in anger and threw another plate.

_**She can't move. He has her head in his hands. He's moving closer. **_

_** She closes her mouth and turns away, but he pulls her back. **_

_** She cries out one more time. "No. Please! No." **_

_*-*/*-*/*-*/_

Alex nears Olivia's apartment and hears a loud crash. She fumbles with the key in the door. "Liv?" She cries as she tries to unlock the door.

Then she hears another crash.

Alex gets the door unlocked and rushes inside. She sees the floor of her kitchen is littered with shards of what were once dinner plates. Olivia was leaning against the wall and slowly sliding to the floor.

Alex rushed to her side. She bent down and placed her hands on Olivia's shoulders.

Olivia fights her. She hits her hands away. "No, don't touch me! Get off me!"

Alex falls back, stunned.

Olivia is crying, she's got her knees up to her chest and she's hugging them tightly.

"Olivia?" Alex crawls closer, "Olivia, it's me, Alex."

_**He's so close. She can see him. **_

_** "Let her go now!" It was Fin.**_

Alex inched closer. "Olivia. It's ok, just let it all go."

Olivia looked up and realized in was Alex that was sitting in front of her. She flung her arms around Alex's neck.

Alex was startled at the sudden movement, but let Olivia sink into her chest. She wrapped one arm around her back, and one around her head. "It's ok, let it all go."

_**He was staring at her, blood was dripping from his face. "You're a cop?"**_

Olivia's tears and trembling began to subside. "Who's the bitch now?" She whispered into Alex's neck at the image of Harris.

Alex ran her fingers through Olivia's hair. "Shh, it's all over, it's all over . . ."


	4. Chapter 4: Rapid Heartbeat

Chapter 4: Rapid Hearbeat

Alex rocked Olivia in her arms. They stayed in that position in the middle of the floor for several more minutes.

Liv had stopped crying, but her breathing was still ragged. The emotional torment of having visited Sealview had pounded on her heavier than ever before. She let her emotions deescalate before she retracted out of Alex's arms and sat with her back up against the wall behind her.

Olivia pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her elbows on top of them. She let her gaze fall to the floor.

Alex's eyes were sad as she looked over at Olivia. Her eyes had begun to water at having seen her friend this low. She was also sad that she hadn't been able to be there for her years ago. Alex joined Olivia with her back up against the wall. She stretched out her legs and leaned her head against the wall and stared out at nothing in particular.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this." Olivia said.

Alex tilted her head so that she could look over at Olivia who was still huddled inside of herself. Alex turned her body and then took Olivia's hands in her own. She waited until Liv looked up at her.

"You are not alone in this. It might feel like you are . . . like you're down in that basement and you can't get out, but you're not alone… We're all down there with you. Every single one of us: Cragen, Fin, John, Malinda, Elliot . . . . and me." Alex couldn't keep the emotion out of her voice as a knot formed in her throat. "We're down there, and we're shining the light. We're helping you up, we're picking up the pieces, and we're putting away the bad guys. Let us in . . . let ME in." Alex reached up her hand and wiped away a single tear that had escaped Olivia's eyes. Alex's voice regained its confidence, "He WILL NOT destroy you."

Olivia smiled at Alex's words. She let them sink into her sole, simmering on them for as long as she could. "You're right." Liv nodded her head. She let Alex's hands go and said, "He did however, lead me to destroy my plates." Olivia looked back at the shattered plates and sighed. Then she felt a hand reaching for hers and pulling her up.

"Come on, I'll help you pick them up." Alex smiled as she helped Olivia stand.

The two of them began picking up the larger pieces, carefully stepping over areas where lots of tiny shards had accumulated. Then Alex grabbed the broom and swept them into the waiting dust pan that Liv held out.

When all the pieces had been picked up and the floor was clean, Olivia grabbed two beers and the two of them went and sat on her couch. A strange sense of euphoria fell over them. They both had that feeling: this is how it was supposed to be. Not the emotional tumult, but being there for the other when one was in despair. Helping the other up when life had them buried. Knowing everything about the other and being raw, open, and honest. Honest about everything except for their true feelings that is . . .

Alex took a sip from her beer. She looked over at Liv, "Thank you for then necklace. I love it." _I love you… I love you is what I want to say._

Olivia glanced over at Alexandra. She was wearing the necklace she had bought her. She reached out her hand and gently held the teardrop garnet Swarovski in her fingertips. She eyed the jewel, "Garnet represents energy, success, confidence . . ." She looked back up at Alex, "Survival, passion, and sensuality . . . It reminded me of you." Olivia let the jewel fall back into place around Alex's neck.

Alex grasped the jewel in her hand, holding onto the words Olivia had just said. She held Liv's gaze. She could feel her heart beating, thumping, faster inside her chest. She longed to truly understand this woman. "Why did you go back there?"

Olivia took another sip and then put her beer down on her coffee table. She pulled her feet up behind her on the couch so her body was now facing Alex's. She propped her head up in her hand, her elbow resting on the back of the couch. "It was something I needed to do. I needed to face that place, to let go of the stronghold it held over me so that I could move on."

Alex looked down at the beer in her hands and twirled it around before asking, "So, have you moved on?"

Olivia clenched her jaw and nodded, "Almost."

Alex stayed at Olivia's for another hour and the two of them sat and talked the whole time. It had begun to get late, so Alex called a cab to take her home.

Olivia barely slept that night. She tossed and turned for hours before finally giving up at 4:30 in the morning and decided to head over to the precinct early.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Elliot walked into the precinct early that morning. He expected Olivia to be there before everybody else, so when he saw her, he pulled up a chair and sat next to her.

Olivia felt a warm hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw Elliot standing there and then sitting beside her. She placed the mug shot of Harris down and turned to look at Elliot.

He was sitting there gazing at her. "Are you ok?" He asked.

Olivia let out a deep sigh and looked back down at the picture, "I'm fine El."

Elliot looked down at his hands and then back up at Liv. "I know when you're lying Liv."

Olivia rubbed the sleep out of one of her eyes and then turned to face Elliot. "I started to relive what happened down in that basement while I was there." She looked down letting her mind wander. "If Fin hadn't shown up I . . ."

Elliot reached out his hand and placed it on her knee. "But he did Liv, and Harris is locked away and he isn't going to get out any time soon."

Olivia shook her head, "I know, but something else is bothering me."

"What is it?" Elliot asked.

Olivia handed him pictures from the early crime scenes. "Each of these looks like a professional hit by someone who was trained."

Elliot shuffled through the pictures. "What do these have to do with Sealview and Harris?"

"It was something Yvonne said, what happened with Harris, had everything to do with what happened to her sister and the other three men that were shot."

Elliot scowled, "She wasn't at Sealview when Harris was there, so how would she know?"

Olivia leaned back in her chair. "It has to be the drugs . . . Yvonne was sent to prison for dealing, her sister was shot, probably to keep her from talking just like Roscoe and the other two guys we caught."

"So you're saying Harris is behind all this?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, I think he was just a pawn, used to get drugs in and out of the system. Whoever is behind the drugs uses rape and murder to keep his secrets and prove his power."

"So why wasn't Harris taken out too?"

Olivia pursed her lips and looked at Elliot. Determination filled her eyes, "Let's go ask him."

One of Elliot's eyebrows went up. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Olivia could feel her heart begin to beat faster at the thought of Harris, but she was fearless, "You bet." Her eyebrows furrowed her strong will dominating her emotions.

Elliot thought for a moment then said, "Then let's go."

Elliot had begun to get up from his seat when Olivia grabbed him by the arm. "One more thing." She said.

Elliot sat back down again, "Anything."

"Alex said you dropped her off at my apartment last night . . . Why didn't you come up too?"

Elliot leaned in closer to Olivia, "Because you clam up around me . . . but around her," Elliot let a smile form to the side of his mouth, "Around her you open up." Elliot winked and then stood up again. "You coming?"

Olivia tried to suppress a grin. She stood up and started walking toward the elevator. "Let's see what the bastard has to say."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Elliot walked into the interrogation room where Harris sat cuffed to the table. He crossed his arms and eyed Harris. He stood off to the side, but kept his stance wide and menacing.

Harris looked at Elliot. Neither of them talked.

Then the door creaked open. Olivia took her time as she walked into the room. Her gaze held his steadily. "Hello Lowell."

**LONG A/N: I wanted to leave the suspense for the next chapter! ^-^ So, I hope that wasn't too confusing, and I hope that explained why Elliot stayed in the car and let Alex go up alone (plus I just wanted Alex and Olivia to have a moment, also I thought of it as El trying to play a little matchmaker) So if it didn't make sense, then I blame it on my lack of sleep due to my three week old foster son who is constantly up in the middle of the night and hard to console! (Don't do drugs while you're pregnant!) I'd like to toss around some ideas for this story with someone, and maybe get a little bit of betaing. Sometimes what makes sense to me doesn't always translate. So, PM me if interested. There are many more layers to this story before I uncover who is behind everything. So, I sorta know where I'm going with this and what the ultimate evolution of the story will be, but I'd like all of yall's input on whether you'd like to see more action, or more developing of the relationship between Alex and Olivia, or if the balance between the two is good. So, thanks for all the input! Hmm, I tend to ramble when I write…. ^-^**


	5. Chapter 5: Rattled Cages

Chapter 5: Rattled Cages

"Detective" Lowell sneered. He broke eye contact as he clenched his jaw and looked over at Elliot.

Elliot huffed, "Don't look at me to save you . . ." He looked over at Olivia who stood opposite of Harris. "You were the one that picked a battle with her." He tilted his head toward Liv.

Olivia sat on the edge of the table and leaned in closer to Harris, but kept her distance. She held a file in her hand that rested draped across her knee. "Bet you didn't expect to see me so soon."

He glared up at her, eyes still full of hate. A white scar, left behind by Olivia's cuffs that day, still crossed his cheek- a reminder of who put him there.

His tone was repulsive as he spoke, "What do you want from me?"

Olivia leaned back, and threw the file she had been holding down at him. "Who are these people?"

Harris looked down at the file then back up at Olivia. He kept his hands clasped together in front of him, not even moving to look in the file. He sat there stoically and the two of them glared at each other, both waiting for the other to falter.

Elliot rolled his eyes and walked between the two. "Enough with the pissing contest." He flipped open the file and pulled out mug shots of the three men that were gunned down earlier that week as well as a college photo ID of Lisa Maria. "Do you know these people?"

Lowell looked down at the pictures reluctantly. "Nope." He looked back at Olivia who had started pacing. "Is that all?"

She paused in her steps, and then walked back to the table. She pointed at the picture of Lisa Maria. "But you knew her sister."

Elliot migrated back to his corner of the room to watch the interrogation.

Harris kept his eyes on Olivia, "And how do you suppose that is? Hmm?" He was taunting her.

Olivia tried harder to suppress her anger. She planted her hands on the table and leaned over it, staring into his eyes, she asked, "Was she another one of your suppliers? Did you have someone rape her to keep her quiet too?"

Harris sat back in his chair, greedily enjoying the show. He picked up the picture of Lisa Maria and caressed it. "I would have taken my time with her . . ."

Olivia grabbed the picture away from him and put them all back in the file. She turned to Elliot, "We're done here."

Olivia and Elliot began to walk to the door when Harris stopped them.

"Tell me, were all four victims shot in the same way, right between the eyes? Did he leave no witnesses, and no evidence?"

Olivia turned on her heels and walked back toward Harris.

Elliot followed, but kept his distance.

"Yes, they were." Olivia said.

Harris grinned and looked down at his cuffs. "I always knew he'd make it farther than I would." A look of respect crossed his face. "He doesn't give in to lust," Harris looked directly at Olivia and licked his cracked lips, "Or the temptation standing directly in front of him." He paused and smirked before adding, "Has he been with you the same way I have?"

"That's enough . . ." Elliot reached out and slammed Harris's face on the table. "Shut up you son of a bitch." Elliot held his head down, pressed into the table top.

Olivia stood stunned for but a brief moment before she walked toward Elliot and placed a controlled touch on his arm.

Elliot withdrew his force, but Harris barely raised his head.

Blood trickled from his eyebrow.

Olivia leaned in, close to his face. She searched his eyes, "Who?"

Harris could see the hole in her bullet proof vest, and aimed directly for it. "Tell me," he said, as he wiped away the blood that had fallen into his eye. "Do you have nightmares about me? Do you see me every time you walk into a place like this?"

Olivia's eyes glowered; she clenched her jaw and held his gaze, never the one to back down. Yes she saw him, she had her moments when she could feel him pressed against her, suffocating her, but this wasn't one of them. Here, she held all the power, and he was nothing but a criminal locked up. "You never had me."

The guards came into the room after witnessing the commotion and picked Harris up off the table. They re-cuffed him with his hands behind his back.

Olivia watched as they led him out of the small interrogation room. She and Elliot followed behind the guards. They were walking down a row of cells. Inmates barked and rattled their cages as Olivia walked by, but she paid them no head.

Finally, the guards threw Harris in his cell. Lowell's roommate eyed him and set down his novel. Harris gripped the bars of his cage. "This isn't over yet!" Harris growled.

Olivia stood in front of him, her stance erect, proud. She gripped the bars, her face once again mere inches from his vile face. "Not for you." And with that, she continued on her way out of the front door.

Once she and Elliot were outside, Olivia ran for the edge of the porch. She hunched over and threw up her morning coffee.

Elliot placed his hands on his hips and stared out at the passing cars, giving her some space for the moment. Then he walked toward her and placed his hand on her back.

She stood up and breathed in deeply. The breeze began to shift and the wind blew her hair out of her face. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Are you ok?" Elliot asked.

Olivia's breathing returned to normal. She looked over at Elliot with sad eyes. "Yeah El, I am now."

They stood there for a moment longer before he added, "Then let's get back to the precinct before anyone notices we're gone."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

It was barely nine am when they arrived at the precinct. Everyone was still tumbling in. When Olivia got to her desk, she noticed a wonderful surprise.

A small white styrofoam box lay on her desk next to a single red rose and a small note. Liv picked up the rose and inhaled its scent, closing her eyes as she did. She sat down and opened the note.

It read: I came by to bring you breakfast; but since you weren't here, I left it on your desk. Now you owe me dessert, and I owe you a real breakfast. I brought you the rose because it reminded me of you. Its color represents passion, energy, confidence, sensuality, and survival. All of which you have in abundance. Love, Alexandra.

Olivia smiled to herself as she opened up the box and smelled the still warm butter croissant. Her stomach growled and she realized how hungry she actually was. She took a bite and all of her built up tension faded as she leaned back and thought of Alex.

**A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful comments, reviews, and suggestions. And, don't worry; there will be more AO in the next chapter, although I'm still not sure if they'll officially get together just yet. So, a little more fluff before it's revealed who the shooter is and how he and Harris are connected. Any ideas who it is yet? And anything you'd like to see happen between Alex and Liv before or after that get together? **


	6. Chapter 6: You Take my Breath Away

Chapter 6: You Take my Breath Away

**A/N: So, for some reason I get nervous every time I check my reviews, but seriously, yall are awesome. Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments! So, this chapter (and probably the next) is all about the relationship forming between Alex and Olivia. A much needed chapter I think and a break from all the case drama! Although you will soon find out who is behind all this, I'm not sure if you'll be surprised, angry, or happy about it lol. If you watch the Undercover episode, she does sit down to interview Harris. At which point, she was able to look at him smugly and speak directly to him, which is basically why I wrote 5 that way (not to say her emotions weren't reeling on the inside which is why she had to vomit afterwards). Also, Harris spoke in the past tense last chapter, "has he been with you" indicating that it's someone that Olivia already knows. And, you'll soon find out why Harris is still breathing, or if he's about to get slaughtered! So, enjoy the fluff and the eye shagging lol! **

After the day's work had been completed, and no new leads had been surfaced, Olivia decided to go visit Alex at her office once again. It was getting close to five o clock, but she knew that the work of an ADA for the International Sex Crimes Bureau was never finished early.

So, she ambled toward Alex's office, with the rose she had received earlier strategically held behind her back. She reached the secretaries desk and spoke with the woman sitting behind it, "Hey Josie, is Alex in?"

Josie smiled her warm greeting and nodded, "Yes she is; she said she might be expecting you this evening. I'm glad you came by."

Olivia thanked Josie and headed toward the door behind her desk thinking it odd that the woman was glad she came by. Regardless of the secretary's intentions, she wrapped lightly on Alex's door. She heard a faint "come in", and entered.

She stood just inside the entrance to the office and closed the door behind her, in front of her, sat a slightly disheveled Alex.

Alex's hair was pulled back out of her face in a messy bun, a few of her bangs having escaped the tie. Her glasses sat atop her face, as she plowed through the mounds of paperwork that sat on her desk. Her black jacket hung over the back of her chair, and her light pink button up blouse laid almost halfway unbuttoned and slightly wrinkled, but tucked in to her pencil skirt. She looked up and smiled when she saw Olivia standing there, staring at her. She placed her pen down on her desk and shut the lap top that had previously lay open on the side of her desk. "Liv, what are you doing here?" Alex feigned ignorance as she reshuffled the papers on her desk into neat piles and pushed them to the side.

Olivia sauntered toward Alex and took a seat directly in front of her on top of Alex's newly cleared desk. "I think you know exactly what I'm doing here." Olivia pulled the rose out from behind her back and handed it to Alex.

Alex took the rose and smelled it once again, "Ah yes, this." She smiled and looked up at Liv.

Olivia dangled her feet under Alex's desk and leaned slightly, casually, forward, keeping her hands on either side of her, pinned to the desk. "Breakfast was delicious." Her tone was more sensual than casual, a flirtatious undertone rising.

Alex sat the rose down on her desk, and grinned sheepishly up at Olivia, like a child caught doing something nice when they had worked so hard to portray that they weren't. Alex let her voice match the tone of Olivia's when she spoke, "I hope that wasn't too much after last night."

Olivia knew this back and forth talk could go on between them for hours. Forever testing the boundaries, but neither willing to push them so far as to actually admit their feelings. But, after last night, Olivia knew that if she could let Alex in so far as to see and experience her at her lowest, she could open herself up more. So, she let her walls fall. Her head tilted slightly to the side as she looked over at the beautiful woman sitting in front of her. Her eyebrows rose in a gesture of vulnerability, "No, it was perfect."

Alex felt a blush enter her cheeks, and her breathing deepened. She searched Olivia's eyes, knowing she wasn't done talking, and hoping with every fiber of her being, that Olivia would tell her what she had been longing to say to Liv.

Olivia bit her bottom lip before continuing, "Alex, you are the most gorgeous and complicated woman I have ever met." Olivia smiled as she read the reaction plastered across Alex's face and continued, "You are daring, and unrelenting. Sophisticated," Olivia reached up and slid the glasses off of Alex's face, "And sexy." Olivia let her eyes rest on Alex while she gathered her nerves to go on, "And I can't help but want more of this." Olivia reached out and picked up the rose that had been sitting on the desk. She eyed it and then looked back up at Alex, "And more of you."

Alex's breath caught in her chest, and her heart skipped a beat. She reached out her hand and placed one over Olivia's hand and stood up to meet her gaze. "And you are the strongest and most beautiful person I know." Alex pushed some of Liv's hair behind one ear, "Beautiful inside and out."

Olivia closed her eyes, reeling from Alex's sensuous touch, and reopened them when Alex began speaking again.

"I've wanted you for a long time Liv." Alex kept her gaze focused on Olivia's dazzling brown eyes that danced with each compliment. She could see Liv's chest rising and falling with each breath, evidence of her longing.

Then Olivia's eyes looked hurt as she asked Alex, "Then why did you wait so long to let me know?"

"Because sweetie," Alex reached her hand up and placed it over Olivia's chest. "You weren't ready to deal with this . . . Until you finished dealing with this." Alex moved her hand to the side of Olivia's head.

Olivia's eyes watered, understanding that Alex meant Harris.

Alex saw Olivia's eyes beginning to glisten and she wrapped her hand around the back of Liv's head, gently pulling her down off of the desk and into her embrace. She laid her head on her should once more and Alex brought her other arm around Liv's back.

The safety and warmth in Alex's embraced surprised Olivia. She sank once again into Alexandra's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her back as she did. "What if it's not over? What if he's still in my mind?"

Alex pulled her out of the hug and held her hands, "Let me in Liv. Let me belong there."

Olivia wanted to, with all her heart, she wanted to let Alex in. She dropped Alex's hands and turned away from her. She placed one hand at her hip and brought the other to her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled deeply. This vulnerability was new to her, and she would have to get used to Alex seeing her like this. So, she turned back around to face her.

Alex looked hurt for the moment, like she had been rejected, but her tension released when Olivia turned to face her again.

"He stole something from me . . ." Olivia looked down at the floor, hands still on her hips, "Something that I'll never get back." Water formed in her eyes, threatening to rush out.

"Oh Liv," Alex began, but stopped when Olivia looked back into her eyes.

Liv grasped Alex by the hips and pulled her in close, "But I no longer feel like I don't deserve this. You proved that to me."

Alex let out a small gasp, a moan as Olivia clutched her to her body.

A single tear made its way down Olivia's cheek as she peered deep into the baby blues in front of her.

Alex reached her hand up and once again wiped away Olivia's tear. No words were necessary. Alex leaned in, closer to Olivia, their foreheads touched and their bodies rocked. Alex's hands made their way behind Olivia's head and her mouth fell open as she leaned in and took Olivia's lips in her own.

Olivia closed her eyes as she felt Alex's lips engulf hers. They were warm, and full, powerful, and oh so sensual. Her hands migrated up Alex's back, pulling her in as close as their anatomy would allow.

Alex's hair fell completely out of the loose bun, and fell around her face. Her tongue moved in Olivia's mouth, filling it. She sucked on her lips, and Liv returned the favor.

Needing to retreat for air, Liv rolled her head to the side and began planting light kisses across Alex's neck.

Alex leaned her head back, loving the sensation of Olivia's lips retreating over her neck and making their way up to behind her ear. Her breathing intensified as Olivia's mouth made its way back to her lips. It was starting to get hot and heavy. Alex's hand lowered down Olivia's neck, her fingers delighting in the trail. Her hand stopped above Olivia's breast and she felt the detective push her breast into her hand.

Olivia moaned at her touch, their mouths never leaving the kiss. She felt Alex's hand grazing lower toward her abdomen. She felt her stomach contract as the cool touch reached her skin and Alex's nails skirted across to her side.

Then they were interrupted. The door squeaked open and Josie stood there. "Oh," She giggled.

Alex retracted her hand out from underneath Olivia's shirt and faced the intruder. Caught and frustrated, Alex shot out a quip, "What?" She asked a little too harshly.

Olivia stood back, unsure how to react, and so just watched the conversation.

Josie's smile never left her face. "I'm sorry to interrupt." She walked over to Alex's desk and placed a few files down. "These are the files for tomorrow that you asked for."

Feeling bad about her earlier reaction, Alex thanked Josie.

Olivia stuck her hands in her pockets and looked over at the inquisitive secretary.

"I knew you'd come around." The secretary winked at Olivia and then strode out of the office."

Olivia's eyes got wide and she looked over at Alex. "What was that supposed to mean!"

Alex laughed, "Oh, don't mind her; she grew up with two dads. And, ever since you started coming around the office, she's been bugging me about you. She calls it her 'gaydar'" Alex placed her hands back on Olivia's hips and pulled her in close.

Olivia smiled, "Did you get that vibe from me?" She questioned playfully.

Alex lifted a few fingers to her mouth, feeling her swollen lips still moist from their previous kiss, "I do now." Her eyes twinkled as she leaned in and gave Olivia another deep kiss. She pulled back and looked into her eyes. "So how about that dessert you owe me?" Alex asked.

Liv smiled and then looked inquisitively and teasingly back at Alex, "You are talking about 'food' dessert right?"

Alex looked up as if trying to decide which 'dessert' she meant, "Of course" She said and then planted another soft kiss on Olivia's lips and then moved to her neck and gingerly kissed the pulse there. Then she added, "For now…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: (Out of cool Titles…)

**A/N: Mentions of seasons 11's sixth episode "spooked". Haven't seen it? Not really any spoilers, but go watch! **

Olivia awoke the next morning, slightly later than usual, and turned on her coffee pot. It had been the best night's sleep she had had within the past week. After a quick shower and dressing for the day, her phone went off. "Hello."

"Liv, we got problems." Elliot's hushed voice said over the phone.

Olivia scowled as she poured her coffee into a to-go mug and grabbed her coat. "What is it?"

"A patrol man found Yvonne's celli." Elliot stated.

"Tell me she's still alive." Olivia pleaded as though it would make a difference.

"She is, but they found her in Jersey."

"So that gives us something to bargain with if she wasn't our murderer. Breaking parole is no minor offense." Olivia locked her apartment door.

"Well it would . . . except they have reason to suspect a multi state drug ring and we have some people here arguing that it's a federal case now."

Olivia slammed the door of her squad car.

"The fibbies are swarming the precinct." Elliot said.

Liv started her car and looked down at her watch. It wasn't even 9 am yet. "I'll be there in ten. Keep them out of my desk."

The two hung up and Olivia raced to the precinct. When she got there, she didn't bother waiting for the elevator. When she got to the top of the stairs, Elliot saw her and rushed toward her.

She was like a bat being led out of a cave. She had worked hard to be seen as an equal in this predominantly male field; so hard that her walk and her stance sometimes transformed into that macho swagger. She was standing like that now, poised to go in for the kill. This was her case, and she wasn't about to let the FBI take it. Especially not him; especially not Dean Porter.

Elliot blocked her pathway and so she came to an abrupt halt. "Keep your head Liv."

She looked at him incredulously as though he were one to just lie down and take it. "This is ridiculous Elliot. What are you doing?"

Elliot's stance hardened, his shoulders shifting up defensively. "You think I had something to do with this? You think I just handed over all the files because our case load was too heavy?"

Realizing her jump to conclusions, she backed off. "I'm sorry El, it's just, if this case has something to do with what happened at Sealview, I can't let it go."

"I know Liv," Elliot paused and lowered his voice, "I never got the chance to write up that report about our little visit to Harris yesterday. So, as far as everyone else is concerned, it never happened. Once these guys are out of our hair, we can do some follow up. Are you with me?"

Olivia looked past Elliot, Dean was closing in on her desk. She looked back at El, her angry demeanor diffused and said, "I'm with you." Then she walked past him and strode right up to Dean.

"I thought it was common courtesy to ask for something before digging around in someone's desk."

Dean became agitated. "Your captain gave me the go ahead . . . It's not personal."

Olivia gave him a sarcastic, "Of course not," before she opened her cabinet and rummaged for the files. She remembered his words the last time he was here, 'our feelings don't matter'. Of course not, how could it be personal now. She handed him all the files she had. "What are you doing here Dean?"

He shifted his weight, uncomfortable by her presence. "I don't pick the job Olivia; I just go where I'm told."

Olivia shook her head in a 'that's a good answer, but total bullshit' manner.

Dean looked around the room and motioned to one of the other FBI agents who came and took the files out of his hands. "Look, I know after our last case together, we left on bad terms. Maybe we can start fresh, on good conditions."

Olivia scoffed, _is this guy serious? _"Dean, you're taking a case out from under me . . . again! What makes you think a fresh start is remotely possible?"

Being the alpha male that he was, he didn't take kindly to the rejection. He closed the gap between them more, "You and Elliot better back off the case."

Olivia's eyes glowered, she stepped in even closer, "Or what? Are you gonna shoot me too?" She searched his eyes, looking for clues.

"Back off Benson." He said and then walked around her and out of the squad room along with the other agents.

Elliot stepped next to Liv as they watched them leave. "You had to bring up Rojas."

Olivia turned to face Elliot, "I wasn't talking about Rojas."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

After another long, grueling day, and after hours of digging, and not being able to tie anything to Dean, Olivia threw her pen down and leaned over her desk, rubbing her eyebrow.

"Don't worry Liv, we'll find something on that creep." Elliot said, looking up at his agitated partner.

"I don't know El. He looks squeaky clean on paper. I can't find anything on him, not even the Rojas incident is listed."

"Well, nobody is that clean." Elliot said as he saw Alex enter the precinct. "Especially not that guy . . . I'm going to go over some stuff with Cragen, I'll be back."

Alex came over and leaned against Olivia's desk. Noticing Liv's tense demeanor, Alex asked, "Is everything alright?"

Olivia looked up to see Alex leaning by her desk. She had been so preoccupied that she hadn't even noticed the blonde until she spoke. "Yeah 'Lex, everything's fine." She said and turned back to her computer file.

Alex looked down at Liv, "Everything is not fine. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing Alex, leave it alone." Olivia retorted without glancing back at her.

Alex sat there for a moment, trying to judge the detectives reactions, but Olivia continued typing away. "Unbelievable," Alex said and then began to stomp off.

Olivia put the heal of her hand to her forehead. This was not turning out to be her day. "Wait," She called after Alex and caught up to her in the long hallway.

Alex spun around, her voice low, "If you're backing out on me here, let me know it. Because after last night . . . and that kiss," Alex could feel her heart sinking as she searched Olivia's eyes, "If you don't want a relationship, just tell me."

Olivia's voice remained even as she spoke, and she kept her eyes focused on Alex's, "I want you more than anything."

Alex's stance softened and she broke eye contact. It was what she wanted to hear, but she had prepared herself for the worst. Olivia hadn't called all day, and she had begun to get nervous. "Good." She said looking back up at Olivia, "But, you can't block me out like that. You already let me in Liv . . . Don't push me back away. If something is bothering you, it bothers me."

A quaint smile formed across Olivia's face, the first smile she'd had that day, but it quickly vanished. "Well it seems like all I'm doing today is apologizing." Liv stated.

Alex smiled at Liv and took a step closer to her. Pushing the hair out of her Olivia's eyes, she said, "That's not always a bad thing Liv." Alex winked at her and then headed back toward the office.

Olivia stood in the hallway for a moment before she called out to Alex, "Where are you going?"

Alex turned around and threw her shoulders up in a mock shrug, "I figured you wouldn't be able to go home unless you caught a break in the case."

Olivia caught up to Alex in the hallway.

"And," Alex continued, "If you can't go home, you can't make it up to me for trying to block me out."

Liv raised an eyebrow, "And what makes you think you can crack it after I've been working on it for hours."

"I may be blonde detective, but I didn't graduate the top of my class at law school because of my good looks." Alex shrugged once again, "Maybe you just need a fresh pair of eyes."

Olivia couldn't agree more. So, they made their way back to her desk and Olivia filled Alex in on the new details. Then they began going through the files they did have on Porter. "See, here and here, we have a few unsealed service files but most of what he does is under confidential seal, including all of his training."

"Can you go back further?" Alex asked.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.

"High school. What teams did he play on, or what clubs did he join. Those shouldn't be confidential." Alex stated.

Olivia began clicking through files on her computer before she came to a picture of his high school football team. Olivia clicked on it to enlarge it.

"There," Alex pointed out. "Who does that look like to you?"

"What do you know . . ." Olivia looked over at Alex, "It's Harris."

A proud smile splayed across Alex's face.

Olivia stared into Alex's eyes, aware that Elliot was sitting across the desk and had overheard the conversation yet hadn't spoken up. He must have known something was going on between the two. He was a detective after all. And so, she didn't even hesitate as she spoke, "You were definitely right. I will have to make this up to you tonight."

If it were possible, Alex's smile grew wider. She leaned in and whispered, "I still have the key to your apartment. I'll meet you there." And with that, Alex got up from the desk and sauntered out of the room.

"Whew," Elliot stated as he walked around the desk to take a look at the picture Liv had uncovered. "Who would have thought after all these years . . ." He said as he planted his hands on her desk and leaned into the screen and then turned to look at Olivia.

He could have been talking about Dean and Harris, he could have been talking about her and Alex, or perhaps he was referring to both situations.

"Life isn't always what we expected." Olivia said, matching his supposition.

Elliot laughed and rubbed his head as he stood back upright. But his demeanor turned grim as he asked his next question. "What if Dean hired Harris to . . ."

Olivia stood up from her desk and placed her hand on his arm, "Don't El, not tonight. We'll go over things in the morning. Ok?"

Elliot let out his breath and accepted. "Ok," He said and walked back over to his side of the desk and threw on his coat. "Just remember . . . It's hot outside, wouldn't want any reason to have to wear a turtle neck."

Olivia threw back a playful slap as they walked out of the precinct, painfully aware that he was right.

**A/N: So, think you know who it is now? It is SVU, so be careful jumping to conclusions! And hate to break it to ya, but it's still a little too early for the love scene. Not to say another good make out session isn't underway ^-^**


	8. Chapter 8: A Kiss and A Flutter

Chapter 8: A Kiss and a Flutter

After packing up her desk, Olivia headed home for the evening. She had contemplated flipping on her lights so that she could get to Alex as fast as possible, but decided to savor that feeling of excitement as she made her way back.

When she arrived in her apartment, she was greeted by the aroma of spaghetti sauce.

Alex stood near the stove in her nice black trousers and white button up, sleeves rolled up to the elbows and her long hair hung daintily over both shoulders. She was whisking a jar of tomato sauce. The pot of water began to boil and she cracked some noodles into the waiting pot. She looked up when she heard Olivia enter. "I thought I'd make us some dinner tonight. Of course, I figured you'd have something in the kitchen, but this was about all I could find."

Olivia chuckled, "Chinese takeout is more of the staple in this house." She dropped her stuff down on the table in the entryway and hung up her lightweight jacket on the hook beside her door next to Alex's. Then she made her way to the bar and sat down to watch Alex cook. "I could get used to this."

Alex looked up from her whisking, and turned the stove down to let the sauce simmer. "So could I." She said with a grin of longing on her face before she snapped back into 'Alex' mode and started looking through the cabinets for two cups. When she found them, she opened the freezer and brought out a few ice cubes and plopped them in the glasses. "Water?" She asked.

"Sure," Olivia stated as she watched Alex move about her kitchen effortlessly. After years of friendship, a sense of ease fell over them. Comfortable silences filled the room, but the new sensation of a love relationship forming tinged their conversations and movements, creating a sense of excitement, eagerness, and adventure as they moved into the new territory.

Alex removed the lid off the noodle pot and scooped up a single noodle. She took a bite and nodded her acceptance. Then she poured out the water and began to plate two bowls with noodles. Then she took a spoon and scooped out some sauce to pour over the noodles. She handed a bowl and a cup over the counter to Olivia. Liv took it and placed it in front of her. Alex took her bowl and walked around to the bar and took a seat next to Olivia, placing her bowl and water on the bar as well.

"Mmhm," Olivia said with her first bite. "Yep, you're invited over more often."

Alex chuckled as she finished her bite, "I hope my invitation isn't always contingent on dinner."

"Oh no," Olivia waved her fork around before digging it in and swirling it around so that the noodles circled the fork. "Sometimes just 'dessert' is enough."

Alex raised an eyebrow and played along, "Well, I have many recipes for 'dessert'."

"Really?" Olivia took another bite and turned her attention to Alex, "And where did you pick up all these recipes?"

Alex took a sip of her water and acted casual as she forked another bite and said, "Oh you know, around . . . Law School, abroad, the DA's office." Alex shrugged. "Of course, I haven't tried out ALL the recipes, some were just learnt verbally." Alex glanced over at Olivia, checking to make sure that Olivia had understood her innuendos. While a relationship with another woman wasn't completely unexplored territory for her, she wanted Liv to know that it was still new to her too.

Olivia understood Alex completely. She was relieved too. All of her other relationships had been with men, but they were either unavailable, too into her job, or they got scared off because of her work. Alex knew her. They had worked with each other for a long time creating a bond that surpassed most friendships. Alex knew her work; she did it too, just in the court instead of on the streets. So, when they initially started flirting, it took Liv a while for everything to settle in. Sure she liked men, well a little bit anyways. So why not try liking or even loving a woman too; especially this one that sat next to her now. So, after testing the waters of flirtation, and after that kiss the other night, and after Alex insisting that she let her in, she had. She was all in. So, she decided to be forthright in her next question, "So, how many women have you been with?"

The question took Alex by surprise and she dropped her fork. "Shit." She had gotten spaghetti sauce all over her white blouse. A trail of red ran down her shirt and her fork bounced to the floor. She hopped off the stool and picked up her fork and placed it back in her now empty bowl.

Olivia had gotten up and brought her a wet towel.

Alex dabbed at the spot, but it was stubborn indeed. She looked up at Liv, "Can I borrow a shirt?"

"Come on," Liv waved her into her bedroom. She laughed at Alex's misfortune, but still wanted an answer to her question. "Would you like a shirt or a tank?" Olivia asked as she opened one of her dresser drawers.

Alex flopped down on Olivia's bed, still dabbing at the spot. "Oh, a tank will be fine."

Olivia lifted out a black ribbed tank and handed it to Alex. "I don't think water is going to take out that stain."

"I know," Alex slightly growled as she began unbuttoning it. "I'll have to go all Billy May's on the shirt."

Olivia stood over her and grinned at her statement. But after she had unbuttoned three buttons, exposing her black bra and the ivory skin of the top of her chest, Olivia turned her attention back to her dresser drawer. She made busy readjusting the clothes before shutting the drawer and turning back around. "I'll go soak it in the sink with some Oxy Clean." Liv said as she took the shirt from Alex's and walked back into the kitchen with it.

When she walked back into her bedroom, she found Alex cuddled up in the pillows on her bed, eyes closed. She stood in the doorway watching her stomach rise and fall with each breath. Her black slacks and tank a striking contrast to her pale skin and the ivory of the bedspread. Olivia looked down at her watch; it was only 9 o clock.

Deciding that she wouldn't mind hoping in bed either, she made her way back to her dresser and took out a pair of grey lounge pants and a grey ribbed tank. She slid them on and then took her work clothes to the laundry basket in her closet.

Alex lay still in the bed, drifting in and out of sleep casually. She had opened her eyes when she heard Liv at her dresser again. She watched her slip off her shirt, and unsnap her bra, her back to Alex, and then slip on a tank. Alex closed her eyes, again drifting back into the comfort of Olivia's bed.

Olivia crawled into the other side of the bed and lay facing Alex. She scooted in closer and reached out her hand and placed it over Alex's stomach, and watched as it rose and fell with each breath.

Alex peeped open her eyes and laid there watching Olivia watch her. She kept her breathing even.

Liv glanced up to see Alex's eyes open.

"One." Alex said lightly almost in a whisper.

"One what?" Olivia asked, her hand remained across Alex's stomach and her eyes focused on the ones in front of her.

"One woman. That's how many relationships I've had, besides you that is."

Olivia smiled, "So it's official now?"

Alex opened her eyes more and searched Olivia's, "Do you want it to be?"

Olivia raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Yes."

Alex returned the smile and closed her eyes to drift off again, "Me too." She said.

Olivia kept her eyes on Alex, but drifted them down to where her hand laid. She moved her hand to lift the tank to expose Alex's abdomen. She grazed her fingers across the light skin, learning her curves and continuing to watch her breaths. She ran her fingers in circles across the tight skin, and watched as Alex's breathing hitched when she hit the spot just inside her hip bone, a sensitive spot. "Why are you so tired?"

Alex felt the tingling sensation of Olivia's fingers. It sent shivers down her spine. "Because, I was up thinking all last night."

"What were you thinking about?" Olivia asked as she ran her fingers across the sensitive skin.

Alex caught her breath as Liv's fingers glided over that spot, "I was thinking about you," She looked down at Liv, "About our kiss, and about what could be."

Olivia looked up and met Alex's gaze. She kept her fingers moving across Alex's abdomen. "Tell me about it." She whispered, returning her gaze once more to Alex's stomach.

Alex tried to keep her breathing even so that she could feel every sensation that glided across her abdomen. She looked up at the ceiling, concentrating on the light circles Olivia's fingers were making across her skin. She closed her eyes, and began reciting what she had been going over and over in her head. She started at the beginning.

"I remember the other night, the feeling when I came up here and found you crying and then you flung yourself into my arms. I remember holding you and rocking you, and not wanting to let you go."

Olivia's movements slowed, she had been embarrassed about that at first, but later realized that it was ok for her to show the emotions, and felt safe and secure in Alex's arms.

"My heart was aching for you. I remember the next day contemplating if I should bring you that rose. When you weren't at your desk, I left you that note. My head raced the whole day as I wondered what you thought. I couldn't concentrate on my work, which is why I probably looked like a mess when you finally did walk in. I was relieved to see you."

Olivia bit her bottom lip, "Go on," She said and continued to graze her finger across Alex's skin, this time dipping her fingers lower, but keeping them above her low rise slacks.

"You came and sat in front of me on my desk. I loved the sight of you there. I wanted to reach up and kiss you right then. But, my patience paid off. You grabbed me by the hips . . ." Alex's breath caught in her throat as Olivia ran her fingers lightly over her sensitive spot. "And you pulled me into your body." Alex's breathing began to rise and fall faster.

Olivia kept her fingers moving at the same tantalizingly slow pace. Her eyes moved over Alex's body, watching her move as she recounted their previous kiss. Her chest began to move with her stomach, moving with each breath. Her hips would slant up when Olivia's fingers ran lower. Her body was already beginning to fall under Olivia's spell. Liv watched her movements; she began to learn what each touch signaled.

Alex continued, "Our bodies rocked and my head fell over yours. I leaned my head down, and took your lips in mine." Alex bit her lip, remembering her taste. "Your lips were so full and the way they moved over my neck made my heart flutter. My hand was resting on your shoulder, but I began to let it fall down over you . . ."

Matching Alex's words, Olivia's fingers moved slowly, starting from the top of her pants, she let her fingers move up Alex's torso, passing her bellybutton, moving in a slow zigzag motion.

Alex felt Liv's hand moving higher, "Then you pushed you breast further into my cupped hand and pulled my mouth further into yours. I could feel your nipple, hard against my hand," Alex arched her back when she felt Olivia's hand slide under her shirt and felt her own breast being cupped by Olivia's hand. "And I wanted to feel so much more. Your skin, your stomach . . ." Alex let out a quiet moan with her last breath.

Olivia's fingers made it up Alex's stomach and found their way under Alex's shirt. She moved her hand with each suggestion from Alex. Her hand cupped Alex's left breast over her bra. She could feel Alex's nipple hardening as she gently squeezed. She turned her eyes to Alex's closed ones and then let them trail over Alex's body which was not able to keep still.

Liv pushed gently on her breast and squeezed her hardening nipple between her middle and ring finger through the bra while keeping her hand fully cupped over it. Alex let out another moan and her head tilted back, relishing in the touch. Olivia let her hand slide off her breast and out from her shirt.

Alex slowly opened her eyes after losing the sensation of Olivia's touch. Then she saw Liv climb on top of her and she welcomed her lips feverishly with her own. Her hands moved to pull Olivia's hips down on her own. Then she let her hands do the exploring that they had wanted to do.

As their lips stayed locked, Alex's hands gently moved from Olivia's hips to her back. Her hands slid under Liv's tank and she began to make light circles in the small of Olivia's back.

Liv let out a soft moan that escaped from her mouth and caught in Alex's.

Alex continued to let one of her hands move up Olivia's back and she felt the tight muscles that had formed there.

Olivia released Alex's mouth as the nails grazed across her back muscles. Then she felt herself being flipped over. She now lay with her back against the bed and her head in the pillows.

Alex sat on top of Liv's pelvis. She took her hands and slid them under Liv's tank, lifting it to expose her torso. She let one hand gently graze across Liv's stomach the way Olivia had been tantalizing her. Her fingers danced up Olivia's stomach, to the pit between her breast and then she pulled them back down again and grazed them over Liv's side. She wanted Olivia with each movement she made.

Alex lowered herself over Olivia, eager to finish what she had started the other day. Alex's mouth landed gentle kisses over Olivia's neck. Liv arched her head backward, reveling in the light kisses. Alex's hand resumed its position on Liv's side as she let it wander further up Olivia's shirt. This time her fingers reached and felt Olivia's ribs, then her hand reached higher and covered Olivia's breast.

Olivia let out a moan as she felt Alex's hand press against her unguarded breast. She grabbed Alex's head and took her mouth back into hers as Alex continued a kneading motion over her breast. "Aha." Olivia let out as Alex pinched her. "Alex . . ."

Alex slid her hand out of Liv's shirt when she heard the uncertainty in Olivia's voice. She planted her hands on either side of Liv and looked down at her, "What is it?"

Olivia shook her head, still unsure herself, "I want this Alex, I just . . . I think it's too soon."

Alex leaned down and placed another kiss on Olivia's forehead and then across her lips and rolled back over onto her side. "I'll wait as long as you want." Alex said and then scooped Olivia into her side.

They were lying on top of the crumpled comforter; Olivia's back pushed up firmly into Alex's stomach as Alex let her hand drop over Liv's side. They settled into a comfortable silence and their breathing matched the rise and fall of the others. Alex kissed the side of Olivia's head and the two of them drifted off into a peaceful slumber for the night.


	9. Chapter 9: The Plan and The Grab

Chapter 9: The Plan and the Grab

**A/N: I'm bringing back another character from SVU, he was only in one episode, but I've been really into Prison Break recently and he's just delish! So Wentworth Miller as Detective Nate Kendall from season 11's first episode is back! He was the angry narcotics detective that was forced to work with svu b/c a rape victim bonded with him, but at the end of the episode when he took the perp to the bathroom, the perp flew out of the window, did he jump or was he pushed? We don't exactly know…**

Olivia awoke early the next morning. She lay on her stomach with her left arm snug under the pillow. She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the morning light. She reached her right arm out to cover the form beside her, but when she did, there was no one there. She sat up slowly and looked around the room.

The bed lay still crumpled and nothing lay out of place. In fact, it looked like no one had ever been there. Was it all a dream? Olivia rubbed her eyes, hoping it was not. She sluggishly walked to the door leading to the living room, when she looked out, the bowls had been cleaned off the counter and again, it looked like no one had ever been there.

Then, a tall blonde popped up from behind the kitchen cabinets. She was real indeed.

Olivia walked over to the kitchen where Alex stood scrubbing out the bowls from the previous night. "You didn't have to clean." Liv mumbled as she strode toward her refrigerator and brought out the orange juice.

Alex handed her a cup, "What's a few dishes? Besides," she said as she placed the bowls and cups in the dishwasher, "I wanted you to get a few more minutes of sleep before we have to head into work."

Olivia just smiled as she downed her cup of OJ. She looked over at the blonde leaning against the counter. She was wearing one of Liv's blue button up shirts along with the pants she had worn to bed the previous night. She might get a little teasing from Josie for not having a change of pants, but no one else would notice.

Olivia set her cup down in the sink and then leaned into Alex's shoulder. "I thought you'd already left this morning."

Alex wrapped her arms around the detective, loving that feeling. "I could never leave you." She whispered.

Olivia stayed there for a moment, letting her vulnerability soak into the woman beside her. She never let her guard down, but this, this was good. This was the side of her that only Alex would know. She picked her head up off Alexandra's shoulder and leaned in for a morning kiss.

Alex took Olivia's lips in her own, a passionate serenade.

After Olivia had gotten dressed, and ready for her day at work, the two of them grabbed their things and headed out the door, neither eager to get to work.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a disposable cell phone, "She's not alone, do you want us to take them both?"

The voice from the other line came back over the line, "No, not yet. Who is she with?"

"A tall blonde, Sir."

The voice went dead for a moment.

"Sir?"

"OK, follow the detective, see what she knows."

"You got it." The phone hung up and the man tossed it into a waiting waist basket. Then he climbed into the passenger side door of a black sedan. "Follow the detective."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia drummed her fingers on her desk as she stared out at her screen.

Elliot leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced in his lap. He looked out at his disgruntled partner.

"We need an in." She stated before looking to her partner. "Dean hasn't left us a trail, so we need to go the next best route."

Elliot let out a big sigh, "Who?" He asked as he leaned back forward, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation. As far as the captain and the rest of the squad was concerned, their previous case had been dropped.

The idea began formulating in her head. "We go through Harris, we get someone to go in with him and Harris will lead our guy to Dean."

"So you want someone to go undercover with Harris. That's ballsy, but who? We got to get someone who will keep this thing quiet, not to mention if this thing goes wrong; our guy will either look like a dirty cop or end up dead!"

A devilish grin formed across Liv's face, "What if our guy isn't a cop anymore?"

"Great, an ex-cop, even better." The sarcastic tone in Elliot's voice didn't escape Olivia.

Olivia pulled up a picture on her screen and turned it to face Elliot.

"No way, are you out of your mind Liv!" Elliot was getting flustered and people were starting to look in their direction.

Olivia closed the picture on her screen and then lowered her voice, "He's perfect for this . . . IAB officially cleared him after the incident here, but he got fired anyways. He was too much of a liability. Now he works at a narcotics clinic downtown, helping meth addicts get clean."

"Ahh," Elliot obviously didn't like this plan. He scratched his forehead, a nervous twitch he had. "What makes you think he'd do this?"

"His daughter died in a meth lab explosion. He became a detective to catch the bad guys. Now, he's handing out methadone? We make him the offer, if he accepts, he's in. If not, then we're back to square one, simple."

"Heh," Elliot began packing up some files, they were ready to head out to talk to this guy. "Nate Kendall is not simple. He's a loose cannon, and a liability."

The two of them started heading out of the precinct, "We'll just have to take our chances. Fight fire with fire." Olivia said.

Then captain Cragen called out from his office, "Olivia! I need you to go to Mercy General, we got another case."

Olivia looked over at Elliot.

A silent understanding passed between them. He would go talk to Nate, while she was off on another case.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

"That's her partner, should we follow him?"

Elliot walked out the front door of the precinct and headed to the garage where his squad car was located.

"Wait."

A few moments later, Olivia walked out of the precinct and hailed a cab.

"Boss said to follow her."

The sedan pulled away and began following cab number V847, Olivia's cab.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Elliot pulled up to the Methadone clinic. People loitered around outside, a few looked homeless. A couple strolled a baby down the sidewalk and walked into the clinic. Elliot sighed, at least these people were trying to quit.

When Elliot walked into the clinic, a nurse walked up to him.

"Can I help you?"

Elliot looked around the small clinic and then flashed his badge. A few of the people in the waiting room froze. "I'm looking for Nate Kendall. Is he around today?"

Tension left the nurses body. "Yes, he's in the back filling out some prescriptions. This is legal you know."

Elliot took the sunglasses off his face and shoved them in his shirt pocket. "I know; this is about an entirely different matter mam." He said, when in fact it was actually about the reason most of these people where here in the first place- drugs.

Elliot walked into a back room where Nate was working. He stood there until his presence was acknowledged.

"What do you want?" Nate growled but didn't look up from his work.

"I have a proposition for you." Elliot stated.

Nate filled the little Dixie cups with water and placed them on the tray. He picked up the tray and on his way out, paused and looked at Elliot. "No thanks." He said, his deep voice thick with disdain for the detective.

Nate handed the tray over to a nurse sitting at the little window that separated the nurses from the patients.

"Don't you want to hear me out?" Elliot asked, "It's gotta be better than this place." Elliot spread his hands out and looked around the room as if it were proof enough that Nate should take his deal.

Nate got up in Elliot's face, his voice a low rumble, "These people need my help here. It's the only place I have left."

Elliot didn't back up, instead he grinned out the side of his mouth. "You fell, and you fell far. This is a long cry from catching drug dealers like you used to."

Nate's eyes shifted off Elliot before he brought them back up to meet his, "What do you know about me?" He asked and then strode off back to his original work room.

Elliot followed him, he let the threat trail out of his voice. Now he was talking to Nate, father to father, "I know you lost your little girl to Meth."

Nate slammed the next tray down on the table. "Yeah, so?"

Elliot walked in closer to Nate, filling in the gap, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost any of my kids." Elliot waited for a response from Nate, but when he didn't get any, he continued, "I have reason to believe that someone from the FBI is out there raping and killing victims in an elaborate drug ring. We've caught some people connected to him with cocaine, marijuana . . . and crystal meth."

Nate's face stayed somber, he looked up at Elliot, "What is a small time detective from the SVU squad doing going after the FBI?"

Elliot's stance shifted, "One of the men we believe to be connected to this ring sexually assaulted my partner . . . and the leader, this FBI agent, may be the reason why."

Nate resumed his menial task of filling up Dixie cups with methadone and water, "Forget it; it's personal. And when it's personal, people make mistakes."

Elliot clenched his jaw. "Fine, forget I was ever here. Go back to your methadone and your addicts that will most likely go back to taking their drugs that they were addicted to in the first place." Elliot began to walk away.

Nate stayed in his work room until he heard the door to the clinic slam. He walked out into the hallway, "Martha, will you finish packing that tray, I have some business to attend to."

The nurse nodded and went into the workroom to finish filling the tray.

Nate caught Elliot as he was beginning to get in his car. "Wait," he said and then looked around the pot hole filled parking lot. "How big are we talking?"

"FBI big . . . Mexico, Cuba, New York big."

Nate's stance widened, the old detective rose to the surface. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. "I'm in."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

"We got nothin' on her boss."

"What was she doing at the hospital?"

"Just taking down another rape report, I don't think she's suspicious."

"Where was her partner?"

"I . . .I don't know . . . He took off a few minutes before she did."

"Damn it you imbeciles; don't underestimate her . . . we need some leverage, just in case."

"Sorry boss; what kind of leverage are we talking about?"

"The human variety; can I trust you two to get this done without raising suspicion?"

"Of course sir."

"Good, plug this address into your GPS . . ."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

It was nearing the end of the work day and Alex couldn't wait to head back over to Olivia's. She picked up the single rose that had been left in her office and swirled it around in her fingers. Perhaps they'd go out for dinner tonight, or rent a movie and stay in.

Then suddenly two men in black suits burst through her office door. Josie followed in frantically behind them.

Alex stood up.

"I'm sorry Alexandra; these two men said they have an emergency that they need you to attend to in court. They couldn't wait."

Alex eyed the two men conspicuously. "What matter is so pressing that it can't wait until tomorrow?" She asked the intruders.

One man turned to the secretary, "These matters need to be dealt with discreetly. Do you mind?"

Josie eyed Alex, "Of course." She said and then headed out of the office.

When the door closed behind her, the man who spoke took several threatening steps toward Alex. "We need you to come with us immediately." He stated.

Alex took a step back. "Not until you tell me what this pertains to."

"Matters of federal importance," He said and then grabbed her arm by the elbow. "Now come with me."

"No!" She shouted and tried to jerk her arm away; but he had a death grip on it and she could already feel the bruises beginning to form.

The other man in the room stepped in closer, "Mam, let's put it this way; if you don't come with us, willingly and quietly, then you and or someone you love WILL get hurt."

A slight terror filled Alex's face. "Fine." She said as she ripped her elbow out of the man's grasp and this time it came free. "Let me just drop something off with my secretary."

The men looked at each other one shook his head no.

"Just this . . ." Alex showed them what she wanted to hand to the secretary.

"Fine." Said the first man, "Let's go."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Josie watched as one man walked out of Alex's office, followed by Alex and the second intruder. She was unsure of how to proceed.

Alex walked up to her desk. "Josie, I have to go to court with these men. Will you take care of this for me?"

Josie looked down at what was in Alex's hand. She took it and placed it on her desk. "Of course."

"Good." Said Alex and then walked out of the building with the men.

Josie looked down at her desk; she picked up the single red rose, by now it was starting to wilt. Then she picked up the phone and started dialing, "Olivia?"


	10. Chapter 10: Leverage

Chapter 10: Leverage

**A/N: Yay over 100 reviews before chapter 10. Thanks to all yall who constantly review! PeterPeter- Tbag? Really lol We're only halfway through season 2 (epi after he rips his hand off the heater!), but I do find myself rooting for him lol. Anyways, back to the story . . .**

Alex rocked with the motion of the van as it sped along the highways. She had been transferred from the back seat of a sedan into the back of a white van about a half mile outside of the city. She sat against the side of the van with her knees pulled in close to her body. Her hands were held behind her back and wrapped with duct tape, and so were her ankles. A single strip of the tape kept her mouth stuck together.

She eyed the man that sat grinning in front of her. This was not the suit that grabbed her, but some low level punk who eyed her greedily. She did not give into the fear that threatened the surface; instead, she had fought back and had thus ended up duct taped. Nevertheless, Alexandra wasn't going to be the one threatened, she knew her detective, her girlfriend would come through; and once she did, they would be the ones sorry.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia called Elliot from the courthouse. She had looked through all the rooms and offices located in the building only to confirm Josie's suspicions- Alexandra Cabot had been kidnapped. "Elliot, we have a situation . . ." Olivia panted as she raced down the courthouse steps back to her car.

"Woah, woah, calm down and tell me what's going on." Elliot said over the phone. He was already on his way back from his chat with Nate.

"I think Dean's men kidnapped Alex." Olivia climbed into her squad car and flipped on her lights. There was no way traffic was going to slow her down. She peeled off from the curb and headed back to the squad room to hash this out.

"Nate is speaking with Harris right now; maybe we'll have some information from him after the interview."

"Alex is in danger and it's my fault." Olivia said feeling guilty about everything.

"He's going to know something is up if both you and Nate show up at his doorstep. And, how is this your fault?"

"I should have warned her, I saw a man standing outside of my apartment this morning watching us. I didn't think too much about it at the time, but he must be the one that took Alex." Olivia said.

"Wait, she stayed at your apartment last night?" Elliot asked.

"Ugh, yes El; but I don't have time to explain that right now," Olivia said still frantically driving down the busy streets of New York. Then she came to a sudden halt and turned her car around. "I'm going to see Dean."

"Olivia, first of all, you have nothing to 'explain', but if you go to see Dean, you could jeopardize the arrangements that Kendall is trying to connect."

"Then call him off. I'm going to see Dean, and I will get some answers."

"Would you at least wait for backup? I can meet you in twenty minutes."

"I can't wait Elliot. I'll call you when I know more." Without waiting for a response, Olivia hung up her phone and began dialing the number she had for Dean.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

"Do I know you?" Harris asked as he was led into a visiting room where Nate sat. The guards cuffed Harris to the table and then left the two in the room.

Nate leaned in casually, "No, but you'll want to."

"Why is that?" Harris growled.

"Because," Nate's voice remained steadfast and sure of himself, "I have something you want."

Lowell's jaw jutted off to the side. He looked around the small room and then leaned into the table. "And what is it you want from me?"

"I want in on your little side business. I know you have the contacts, so don't bullshit me."

Harris leaned back in his chair, cocky and full of himself, "And what is it I get in return?"

"That depends," Nate said, "how high do your contacts go?"

"That depends," Harris retorted, "you gonna break me outta here or something?"

Nate smiled, keeping the tension high, "No," he finally said. "Get me the contact for your partner and you will be shipped to a low security prison with a window in your cell and a longer time in the yard. If you want, I can even get you a stint with PI."

"You have the arrogance of a cop and the stupidity of a court appointed lawyer. What assurances do I have that you can be trusted?" Harris drew out the 's' and it made a hissing sound across his tongue.

"I have the transfer on order." Kendall said, "Either you take the deal, or you get nothin'."

Harris licked his lips, he could taste the "freedom" that a lower security prison would offer, and the benefits that would come from having a job within Prison Industries. "I can't get you to my partner, but you can have the lieutenant."

Kendall slapped down a writing pad and pushed a pen in his direction. When Harris started writing, Nate got up from his position and walked around toward Harris. He leaned over his shoulder and threatened, "And if your sources are wrong . . . you can bet your ass will end up back here and you won't be able to sit for a week you'll be so fucked up."

Harris slid over the paper and stared forward, not wanting to look Nate in the eye, "It's all there," He said.

Nate motioned for the guards, when they came in and uncuffed Harris he turned to them and said, "His transfer is going through, effective immediately."

Kendall leisurely strolled to his car, the easy part was taken care of, now on to the hard part. After he made the call to the number that Harris gave him, he dumped his cell and went on his way.

As he was driving off, a sound rang out from the cell phone in the trash- it was Elliot.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

The van came to a rolling stop outside of an abandoned warehouse. Roy, the driver of the van came around back and opened the back door. Curtis, the man who sat in the back watching Alex grabbed her by one elbow and pulled her to the edge of the van.

When Alex was sitting at the edge, Roy brought out a switchblade. Alex began to thrash, trying to back up, but Curtis had her tight.

Roy grabbed her face in his hand and held the knife to her throat. "Relax white bread," a cruel smile crossed his face as he saw the panic in her eyes. He laughed and cut the tape that bound her feet. "You're gonna walk with us." He held the knife back up to her throat and gave her a once over. He slid the knife delicately over her skin, down her neck to the top of her shirt between her breast. "And, if you don't behave, we'll have a little fun of our own before the boss arrives."

Alex sat there stoically, defiantly. When they started walking, she walked with them. She took the only chance she might have and looked around the area. The old warehouse was fully fenced in; it looked like only one gate lead out to the main dirt road. As far as she could see, the rest of the warehouse was surrounded by trees. Two outbuildings sat slightly to the right of the warehouse, each was tumbling apart, its bricks beginning to fall to the ground as ivy climbed its walls. The main warehouse was only one story tall, several windows had been boarded up, letting no light into the enclosed spaces.

Alex was lead through a side entrance, a garage door with graffiti slowly grinded its way up as the three walked inside. A few overhead industrial lights flickered as they walked her through the open warehouse that hosted old machining equipment and to a back hallway. They threw her inside the aged locker room and she fell to the floor.

Roy bent down and cut the tape off her wrists.

Alex brought her hand up immediately to the tape across her mouth and ripped it off. "I want to speak to your supervisor at once."

Roy chuckled again, "Settle down there missy." He got up and walked to the door, "He'll be here soon enough."

The door slammed behind him and Alex sat on the floor in the locker room. She rubbed her wrists and glanced about the room. The light was minimal, but enough to see. She got up and began to explore the small area.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia stomped into Dean's office. He was in the very back of the one story building at the FBI unit. His office was large, especially compared to the tiny cubicles she passed on her way there. She knocked on his door and waited patiently as he took his time answering it.

He hung up his phone and discreetly placed it back in his pocket. "Olivia, come on in."

Liv walked into his office but didn't sit. Instead she lightly paced and waited for him to shut the door. "I need to know what info you have on the case Dean."

Dean walked up to Olivia, casually glancing down at her. "Here, have a seat." He pulled out a chair at his desk and ushered her to sit.

Reluctantly she did as he said. She sat back as she ran her hand over her forehead and back through her hair.

He walked around his desk and slowly took his seat, watching her every agitated move.

When he said nothing, Olivia began, "Look, I know we have our differences, but I need in on this. Someone has kidnapped Alex, and I'm pretty sure it has to do with the case."

Dean looked down at his desk, contemplating his next move. He sighed, "You know I want to, but it's above your clearance level. Why don't you tell me what you know and we'll do everything possible to get Alex back safely."

Olivia stared him down, still not trusting him, but what choice did she have. Everything she had lead directly to him. It was better to try to keep squeezing him for info before she let him in on what she knew. "I don't have any new information since yesterday. All I know is in the file handed over to you."

He picked up the file and opened it, "Yet," he said flipping through it, "we both know you have more than this. The question is how much more and what does it have to do with Alex."

"Nothing I know has to do with Alex. Do you know who took her or not? If you don't then I'm wasting my time here." She moved to get up, a bluff she hoped she wasn't going to have to go through with.

Dean cleared his throat. "We have a suspect lined up. My guys are questioning him now."

"Who's your suspect?" She asked.

Dean looked at her, his eyes unwavering, not dauntingly, but they looked like a man who'd lost something, someone.

Olivia knew he still had feelings for her, even if he had said they didn't matter. She chose her next words carefully; wanting to appeal to that side of him that still liked her without pushing past the boundaries. "I need to know Dean, do this for me."

He sighed and looked down at his desk. He kept his eyes trained down so as not to give too many secrets away, "His name is Donnie Lombardi. He's an Italian immigrant raised in New York. We have his weapon in custody. The striations on the bullets match those found in our victims. Plus, Shelly positively ID'd him as the man who shot Lisa Maria."

Olivia sank back into her chair. All the evidence pointed to this man, "So what could they want with Alex?"

Dean shrugged, "I don't know, perhaps some leverage." He looked her dead in the eye, "Now, I need to know what you know so that we can work together to get Alex back . . ."

**A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a filler, there is a lot that needs to play out and I need to make sure that it is set up right. So, let me know what yall think. Is Dean telling the whole truth, a part truth, or a complete lie? And is it Dean's men who took Alex or someone completely different? And, how will Nate's roll in the story pan out? **


	11. Chapter 11: Truly, Madly, Deeply

Chapter 11: Truly, Madly, Deeply

"Hey man, are you Curtis?"

Curtis stood up from his leaning position against the door of the locker room. "Yeah, what's it to you?"

"I'm your replacement for the night. I was under the impression that I had a partner . . ."

Curtis spit onto the floor, and began to walk off, "He's in with the girl."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Alex stood boldly in the middle of the locker room.

Roy circled her like I lion waiting to jump its prey. He twirled his switchblade around in his fingers.

Her eyes didn't waiver, they kept on his, giving him no reason to pounce. "Pretty good gig you got here huh?" Alex teased, "you're nothing but a glorified babysitter."

Roy stood directly in front of her, head cocked to the side, still twirling his switchblade. "Yeah, a pretty good gig indeed. You see . . ." he began circling her again, eyeing her body as he walked around her. "I get first dibs on all prisoners. When there is a discrepancy, when someone is threatening to blow a whistle . . ." He moved in to whisper into her ear, "I take care of it."

Alex turned so she faced him and took a step toward him, "A babysitter and a bulldog. You're nothing but a pet, somebody else's BITCH!"

A right hook landed in her jaw sending her reeling backwards. It landed so hard that her vision went black and she became disoriented.

Roy caught her by the neck and threw her back up against the wall. "You're about to learn what it means to be a bitch." He ripped her blouse and buttons flew across the room.

Fighting, she managed to open her eyes. She felt his grubby hand still at her throat and she reached out with her fist and gave him a strong uppercut that landed under his chin.

He released his grip on her and screamed.

Her vision became clearer as she blinked. She steadied herself up against the wall. There was nowhere to run, but she would not go down without a fight. She watched him spit out blood and she grinned realizing she did that.

He came at her again with his knife and he held it against her throat. "Try anything funny like that again and I'll slit your throat."

She spit the blood that had pooled in her mouth into his face.

He blinked, leaving the blood across his face, an evil grin surfacing. He slithered the knife down her neck and over her tank and stopped when he reached just between her breasts. He stuck the knife through the tank and ripped it up, exposing the top of her chest.

"What are you doing to her?" A voice boomed from the door.

Roy turned around and glared at the intruder. He let go of Alex and she slid to the floor. "Taking care of business . . . And who might you be?"

"Kendall, Nate Kendall." He stepped toward Roy, "Boss sent me to watch after her for the night." He peered down at Alex and his eyes flicked back up at Roy, "You're needed at the outbuildings, I can handle it from here."

Roy licked his lip that still stung from Alex's uppercut and flipped his knife back into his pocket. "Fine," he said as he began to swagger out of the room, but stopped in the doorway, "But I'm not done with her."

"Go to hell." Alex managed to utter.

Roy spit one more time in her direction and then glared at Nate, "Enjoy this one, she's feisty."

Kendall watched him walk away and then looked down at Alex. "You think you could try to fly a little lower on the radar?"

Alex looked up at Nate, eyeing him with suspicion. "And let him take advantage of me? Not a chance."

Nate squatted so he could look Alex in the eyes, "As long as I'm here, that's not going to happen."

"And when you're not?"

He didn't have any words for her. He couldn't make a promise he wouldn't be able to keep. He stood up and walked out of the locker room, locking the door behind him as he did.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

"Look Dean, just let me talk to this Lombardi guy, maybe I can make a connection."

Dean eyed her cautiously and picked up his phone. "Let me see what I can do." He stood up from his desk and stepped into the hallway for a moment. When he returned, he walked over to Olivia.

Liv stood up from the chair and faced him, "Well?"

Dean shifted on his feet, "I don't like this . . . but you can have five minutes with him and that's all."

"Ok, where is he? Let's go." Olivia began to walk toward the door.

Dean held the door open for her. "He's at an undisclosed location, it's better that I drive. My car is out back."

"Fine." Olivia said and the two walked out the back exit.

When the door closed behind them, Olivia heard a loud thump and a grunt of pain.

A guy in a black suit and dark shades pistol whipped Dean in the back of the head sending him to the ground where he lay sprawled out and unconscious. Then the suit brought the gun up to Olivia. "Hands off."

Olivia froze; she pulled her hand off her weapon and placed them both in the air.

Another suit came up behind her and disarmed her. His hands patted her down, searching for another weapon. "She's clean." A black sedan came screeching to a halt.

Then the suit behind her took his gun and hit her in the back of the head. He caught her on her way down and drug her to the vehicle.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia blinked her eyes unable to make out what was going on around her. Her vision blurred and the darkness of the night concealed anything helpful to her. She could feel her feet dragging behind her, and there were two strong grips on her arms propelling her forward. She heard a garage door squeal as it opened and she again blinked, her vision starting to refocus.

A door swung open and she was tossed onto the hard concrete floor.

"Liv!" Alex rushed to Olivia's side and helped her sit up.

"Alex?" Olivia questioned trying to focus on the person who had her.

"Yes, it's me." Tears sprung to Alex's eyes. This wasn't a rescue, but she was no longer alone.

Olivia rubbed the back of her head as she began to take in the sights around her. "Where are we?"

Alex sat back on her knees, "As far as I could make out, an old machining warehouse about two hours outside of the city."

It took a while for Olivia to digest everything that had just happened, and then she saw Alex. "Oh god, what did they do to you?" Olivia reached out to Alex and examined the bruise on her face.

"It's nothing Liv." Alex said trying to calm Olivia down and put up a false bravado.

Olivia looked down at Alex's torn blouse and at how her tank had been ripped. She looked into Alex's eyes and then grabbed one of her arms. She pushed up the sleeve to reveal several more fresh bruises on her wrist and elbow. She repeated this with her other arm. Tears sprung to Olivia's eyes and she reached up again, this time with her left hand so as not to aggravate the darkening bruise on the opposite side. She reached her hand to Alex face, "Did they rape you Alex?"

Alex let out her breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "No," she shook her head and looked down at the ground. "No," she whispered again as her tears began to escape her eyes, "But it was so close." She looked up at Olivia and bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowed and she made no attempt to brush away the tears. "I was so scared."

Olivia got up from her position in front of Alex and sat beside her, she pulled her in close. Olivia held Alex trying not to tear up any more. "I'm so sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen."

"It's not your fault." Alex whispered, "You couldn't have known."

It was getting late in the evening. Alex had laid her head down in Olivia's lap and was starting to drift off to sleep. Her body was curled up against a wall. Olivia leaned her back into the corner, her head rested against one wall and her legs lay crossed with Alex's head in her lap. One of her hands stroked Alex's hair and she stared off into the locker room trying to figure out a plan to get them out of danger.

A loud thud and some shouting came from outside the door and it woke Alex. She stirred, unable to go back to sleep. "Olivia?"

Liv looked down at Alex, her perfect skin now colored a deep blue, her body showing the abuse she had endured. "Yes sweetie?"

"What do you think is going to happen to us?"

Olivia frowned, "I don't know. I'm sure Elliot and the rest of the team is out looking for us; but I just don't know."

Alex stayed silent. "Did you always want to be a cop growing up?"

Olivia thought about it for a moment, "When I was in third grade, our classroom had a pet hamster. His name was Monty. When it came to be my turn, I took him home for the week. I fed him and played with him for several days until one morning, the morning before I had to take him back to class and give him to another kid, he never woke up. He had died during the night. I became obsessed with hamsters and for the rest of the year I wanted to be a veterinarian."

Alex smiled at the memory.

"What about you?" Olivia asked, "Always want to be a lawyer?"

"No, actually I wanted to be a rapper once."

Olivia laughed, "What? A rapper!"

Alex kept her head down on Olivia's lap, "Yeah, check it, I'm goin' old school here:

I am a nightmare walking, psychopath talking,

King of my jungle, just a gangsta stalking,

Living life like a firecracker, quick is my fuse,

Then dead as a death pack, the colors I choose,

Red or blue, cuss or blood,

It don't matter,

Sucker die for your life when my shotgun shatters

We gangs of L.A. will never die, just multiply,

Colors.

Olivia and Alex both laughed as she finished her rap. "Wow 'Lex, I had no idea."

Alex smiled and curled in closer to Olivia. "Your turn . . ."

Olivia looked down at Alex and stroked her hair some more. She leaned her head back against the wall thinking, "Ok, but you can't make fun of my singing."

"I can't promise anything." Alex grinned.

"Ok, well, her it goes:

I'll be your dream I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy.

I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need.

I'll love you more with every breath, truly, madly, deeply do. Mmmmhmm.

"Mmm, don't stop detective." Alex closed her eyes and began to drift off as Olivia began singing again.

"I will be strong, I will be faithful. 'Cause I'm countin' on a new beginning,

A reason for living, a deeper meanin' yea."

"I want to stand with you on a mountain.

I want to bathe, with you in the sea.

I want to lay like this forever, until the sky falls down on me."

Olivia looked down at Alex again; her breathing had become even and unlabored. She slept fitly in her lap on the cold concrete floor and it amazed Olivia that this woman felt so at home in her arms, that even locked away in this deserted warehouse, she could find peace and comfort in Olivia's arms. Liv sang the next line of the verse to herself.

"Oh can't you see it baby?

You don't have to close your eyes, 'cause it's standing right before you.

All that you need will surely come."

Alex lay there, all that she needed. Liv continued her song, lulling herself into slumber as she sang the last chorus to Alex.

"I'll be your dream I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy.

I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need.

I'll love you more with every breath, truly, madly, deeply do."

"I love you."


	12. Chapter 12: The Who

Chapter 12: The Who

**A/N: Well, this is the chapter we find out the who, and next chapter the why. Also, Harris will be dealt with soon enough so not to worry about the low security prison. I hope this chapter leaves you at least slightly shocked. Although when you watch SVU so much you tend to not be shocked by the twists and turns anymore lol. Let me know what ya think! Also just so it's easier to follow along, in this chapter, there is a bit of back and forth until the timelines meet. I go back to write about Elliot finding out Olivia has gone missing.**

Twenty minutes after Elliot got hung up on, he arrived at the FBI headquarters. He headed towards Dean's office and then noticed the backdoor creaking open and Dean hobbling inside. He rushed toward him and grabbed him by the arm to help steady him on his feet. "What happened? Where's Olivia?"

Dean pushed himself up against the wall, still dizzy from being knocked out and breathed in heavily. "I don't know; I got knocked out as soon as we walked out the back door."

Elliot tried to control his consuming anger. He stepped away from Dean and put his hands on his head. Then he spun back around. "Do you have video of the back door?"

Dean sneered, "We're FBI, of course we have camera's covering the building's exits."

Elliot kept his snarky comments quiet and followed Dean to the security office. He was not getting kicked off this case; this was his partner's life that hung in the balance.

Dean practically kicked in the security office door.

There was one lone security guard that was leaning back in his chair. His mouth hung open, his head rolled back, and his eyes were glued shut.

Dean's presence quickly woke the startled guard. "Get up, you're fired." Porter tossed the guard out of the room and took a seat at the security booth. He found the tape of the back door and rewound it fifteen minutes.

Elliot stood behind Dean, hunched over, looking at the screen. He saw Dean and Olivia head out the door and then Porter was immediately hit over the head. Then he saw Olivia being disarmed and knocked out as a black sedan pulled up behind the door. None of the suit's faces were clearly visible, and those that were facing the camera had on thick sunglasses.

Porter froze a frame of the sedan and blew up the license plate. He picked up the first dispatch radio that he saw, "I need an APB out on a black sedan license number Charlie, 7,5, 3, Henry, 9. Suspect was last seen fleeing the FBI building with an NYPD detective."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Nate Kendall sat at a stool just outside of the locker room where Olivia and Alex where being held captive. He watched as a transaction processed. Some dealers came by the warehouse and picked up a load of crystal meth. It was hard for him to sit by and watch the transaction, but he couldn't give away his position just yet. His life and the lives of the two women behind the door counted on it. Also, if he wanted to take this group down, he was going to need some back up.

So, he watched as the dealers bartered with the lieutenant of the operation. Roy and Curtis stood guard behind the man, guns locked and loaded, ready in case anything broke out. There were three other men, hired illegal's that did the dangerous job of cutting, burning, and creating the meth. The lab was located in the two worn down outbuildings. It was reclusive enough that no law authority would stumble upon it, even if an explosion did occur.

There were also two guards that stood by the opening of the garage door and one that patrolled the surrounding building. Two suits had some and gone, the same two that brought him here were the ones that drug Olivia in. Most of these men seemed highly trained. Ex army, ex cops, and then of course were the two hired thugs, expendable, but necessary. And then there was him, an ex cop who knew what he was doing and therefore highly valuable. He would have to work his way up the totem, but eventually he'd get to the right position. And then, he'd take them down, cop or not.

He never relaxed his tension, even after the deal had gone down smoothly. Instead, he kept his eyes and ears open all night. It went quiet after the dealers left and the lieutenant retired to his makeshift office for the night. As he sat there staring out at nothing in particular, he heard the soft hum of singing. He got up from his seat and pressed his ear against the door. A small grin formed in the corner of his mouth. Olivia was singing to Alex. He was surprised at how lovely her voice was. He decided to give them some privacy, not wanting to interrupt their moment. He decided it was a good time to visit those outbuildings.

He walked up to one of them. Night had rapidly descended, but a light shone within the building. The workers were gathering their things and packing up for the evening. He eyed their tables and their products being used. They kept their eyes averted from him. After years on the job, nothing surprised him, not even this. He stood there poignantly for a moment, thinking about how his daughter must have suffered when her mother got them blown up. Then he strode out of the building, an inferno of rage starting to boil inside of him. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to keep it squelched.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

The day was rapidly coming to a close. Elliot sat at his desk in the precinct, trying to track any plausible exits and routs that the sedan could have taken Olivia down. Of course, the possibilities were endless. The FBI was coming by the precinct in the morning. The kidnapping of an ADA and a detective did not sit well with anyone in law enforcement. They would be briefed on what the FBI knew tomorrow and then start working up new leads.

However, no one from the 1-6 was going home that night. Endlessly they searched; endlessly they worked. Olivia was their family. The cribs were full that night.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Sometime that night, a call was made.

"I sure hope you covered your tracks."

"We did what you asked us to boss."

"The cops and the FBI will be swarming the city, so if you left any clues; you know what to do."

"Preparations are being made sir, but we covered all of our tracks."

"Good, we just need to keep them long enough until this whole Lombardi thing is over. Someone is going down for this; let's just make sure it's the right person."

"You got it. We have team members making assurances right now."

"I don't need assurances, I need results. I'm coming by tomorrow to make sure everything is under control and going according to plan."

"We'll be ready for you boss."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

The next morning, the precinct buzzed. Cops from all over the city were patrolling, looking for the sedan and looking for clues. The FBI briefed the team members on the Lombardi case and handed out files of their acquired knowledge of the case.

Elliot fidgeted in his seat as he looked over the file. This just wasn't making sense. This guy seemingly sprung up out of nowhere and was being charged with these crimes. He was a bad guy alright, but he still had that uneasy feeling. Perhaps he was just on high alert and was suspicious of everyone right now. Then again, perhaps he had a reason to be.

After the fibbies left, Elliot wandered into Cragen's office and sat down. He had barely slept the night before and the coffee had not yet taken affect. He took another sip of his morning caffeine and threw the file on Cragen's desk. "That's a load of bull right there."

Cragen sighed. Bags had formed under his eyes as well, "It's all we got El."

He leaned forward, placing his coffee on the desk. "No, it's not." Elliot waited for the response from Cragen.

"Well if you know something else, you need to share it with me now Stabler."

"Two days ago, we went and interviewed Harris after a comment from an inmate at Sealview."

Cragen leaned back in his chair, obviously pissed that Elliot and Olivia hadn't shared this information with him earlier. "What comment?"

"The inmate said that what happened with Harris had some correlation to the rapes and murders that were happening now."

"Did you find the connection?"

Elliot shifted in his seat. He knew it was time to come clean about everything they had done. He scratched his neck, delaying what was about to come next. "The only possibly unrelated connection we found was that Dean and Harris played on the same football team in high school."

Cragen couldn't control himself any longer. He got up from his desk and stormed toward Elliot.

Elliot stood to meet the confrontation.

"You're telling me all this now! After we've given Porter everything we have!"

"Look captain, I don't think he's behind this. I saw the video; the guy was knocked out when they took Olivia, but I think he IS hiding something. It could be a revenge plot from Harris, I don't know."

Cragen calmed his demeanor. "Anything else I should know?"

"Yeah," Elliot said uneasily, "we got a guy on the inside. Only problem is, I haven't heard from him."

Cragen's chest puffed up, his anger coming back to a boil. "Who?"

"Nate Kendall."

"Great Elliot; you two went off the deep end and now you don't have a rope to pull yourself out! Kendall legally can no longer work for the NYPD; if they get busted, he's going down with them."

"He knew that when he took the opportunity."

Cragen brought his hand up to his mouth and paced the office. "Do you know the severity of this mess? Both Alex and Olivia are missing, possibly captured by one of Harris's men out on a vendetta against Liv; the only guy close enough to do something about it is an ex cop out on a vendetta of his own, and the FBI may be in on it?"

"Let me follow Porter. If he knows something we don't, I'll find out."

Cragen took a seat and placed his head in his hands. "The one thing I don't get is, if they were out to get Olivia, why would they take Alex?"

"Olivia said she saw some men outside of her building yesterday morning. They saw Alex walk out with Liv; they must have assumed she meant something to Liv and took her for a hostage to draw Olivia out and throw her off her game."

"Alex means something to all of us Elliot."

"I know captain; but I think she might mean a little more to Olivia."

Cragen became somber, he shook his head understanding what Elliot meant. "Then we don't have much time before revenge is carried out. Follow Dean, but don't let him know what you know."

Elliot began to walk out of the office.

"And Elliot," Cragen called after him, "Bring the girls back in one piece."

"You got it." Elliot gave him a sure nod and walked out of the precinct.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia paced the small locker room while Alex sat, leaned up against a back wall. Liv had looked through all the lockers and had found nothing of any use. It was getting later in the afternoon and they hadn't had anything to eat or drink all day. No one had even bothered to come in to check on them; and if they had, Olivia wasn't sure what her next move would be.

Alex watched Olivia pace. There was nothing she could do to calm her girlfriend's nerves anymore. The one thing they had both worked so hard to achieve was equality among men; now they both sat captive, the cliché that stung. Alex pulled her shirt in closer to her body as if to shield herself.

Alex had managed to keep both of their minds preoccupied for most of the restless night as well as the morning, but she had run out of energy. They had talked about their pasts, talked about relationships. They had talked about their favorite movies and actors. But now, they began to wonder if they would survive. Alex knew Olivia felt responsible for her captivity, and perhaps she was; but at least she would die without regrets . . . if it came to that.

Olivia sat down next to Alex after finally exhausting herself out. "What the hell are they doing out there?"

Alex leaned her head against Olivia's tense shoulder. "I don't know; perhaps they're selling their drugs."

"How many men did you see when you were brought?" Olivia knew they had been over this, but she wanted to do it again.

"Two suits grabbed me, two drove me here, one opened the garage door, and another stood watch over night." Alex repeated her words to Olivia.

"The man that stayed overnight, he was the one that pulled Roy off you?"

"Yeah, he seemed like a nice enough guy. Then again, he's the one keeping us locked up."

Olivia thought about that for a moment. "Did he happen to say what his name was?"

Alex thought for a moment, trying to recall the previous night. Everything had happened so fast it was hard to remember. "I don't know. He kicked Roy out of the room and said he wouldn't let anything happen to me, that's all I can remember."

Olivia's eyebrows furrowed, "Do you remember what he looked like?"

"He was tall, hair was cut real short. His demeanor was angry, but there was something about him I couldn't put my finger on . . ."

"Was his name Nate Kendall?" Olivia asked.

Alex sat up, "maybe, that sounds familiar."

Olivia smiled. Perhaps all was not lost.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Night was beginning to fall once again. Olivia heard some talking outside and pressed her ear to the door to listen.

She could hear a muffled voice through the door. "How are the girls?" His voice was indistinguishable.

"Quiet Sir." The voice sounded like Nate's.

"Good." The voice got closer and Olivia realized it was headed for them. She backed up and braced herself for what was to come.

Alex stood up when she heard the voice and saw Olivia's reaction. She stepped in closer to Olivia, but Liv stood protectively in front of her.

The doors hinges creaked as it opened and when Olivia saw who it was, she was filled with shock and rage. She was ready to lash out, but instinct had her feet stuck to the ground.

"Hi Olivia," he said, his voice calm.

Olivia growled his name, "Dean."


	13. Chapter 13: Click, Boom!

Chapter 13: Click, Boom!

**A/N: Yay finally. I've been excited about writing this chapter for like the past two weeks. Alas, I am not feeling well so I've been running around town with the kids (great to do when sick) and now finally I've gotten to lock myself away in a dark room! Also, my visitor/hits counter is off so I can't tell if my stories are being read *sad face* although obviously they are since I keep getting story alert emails haha. Anyways, reviews make me happy! And Iwan2 was correct- Dean stepped out of his office for a moment to call his people so when he walked out the back door with Liv, they hit him too, to deflect incrimination! **

Elliot pulled up slowly to the abandoned warehouse. The lights of his car were turned off, but the engine hummed quietly. He drove past the gated entrance and off into a clearing in the woods not too far down. He climbed out of his car and crept up to the wire fence.

He stood there examining the building. It had a few lights outside the two entrances, but nothing bright; he would easily be able to sneak up. He watched the one guard walk the perimeter of the building. He started walking down the fence a little more when he stopped dead in his tracts.

He squatted low so that he couldn't be seen, but what he saw were two men near the edge of the fence digging. He crept up closer so that he could get a better view of the men and what exactly it was they were doing.

"I hope we ain't out here sweatin' for nothin', Roy," Said one voice.

A shovel full of dirt came out of the hole and was placed beside it. "Curtis, boss doesn't have us do anything he doesn't have a plan for. If we're out here digging these graves, he's going to use them."

"Son of a bitch," Elliot's voice was barely above a whisper but laden with anger.

Roy turned around, "What was that?"

It was now or never; Elliot quickly jumped the fence and pounded his fist into the guy closest to him.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Dean took two steps more into the room. An arrogant smile danced across his face.

Olivia's mind raced. _How could he do this? Why? _"It was you all along?" Her countenance portrayed how upset she was. Her brow furrowed and her face contorted with both rage and sorrow. "How could you RAPE and MURDER all those innocent people?" Her voice got heavier, angrier.

Dean remained cool headed, "I would never resort to rape, Olivia. What measures my men use to sedate their leaks are up to them." He shrugged, clearly indifferent.

"So why murder four innocent people?" Olivia asked. "That was clearly you're doing."

Dean jeered at her statement. "No one is innocent in this business." He stepped in closer to Olivia.

Liv gently pushed Alex backwards, creating a larger gap between the two to keep Dean as far away from her as possible.

"Those cocaine dealers you guys collared were low life losers who couldn't keep it in their pants and couldn't cover their tracks. They had to be dealt with," Dean said.

Olivia stepped in closer to Dean, taking on the threat. "You just have your hand in all the pots don't you?"

A crooked smile crossed his face. "You could say that. I own these streets. I own everyone."

"Everyone?" Olivia asked getting closer to his face- a verbal affront to his dominance over her.

He grabbed her wrist to keep her from any sudden movement. His eyes were dead. "From Brooklyn to Harlem, I own everything and everyone, baby."

Olivia ripped her arm away from him. "I'm not your baby."

Dean took a step back and looked her up and down. Then he looked back at Alex who stood up against the back wall with her arms wrapped protectively around herself. He looked back at Olivia and said, "No, you're not. Clearly you've jumped ships."

"Is that why you took her . . . because you were jealous that I loved her and not you?"

Alex's eyes glanced up from the floor to look at Olivia. She could only see her back and her tense posture. _Love? Did she just say she loved me? _It could have been said out of fear, or out of spite; but nevertheless, Olivia had said she loved her. In the midst of the circumstance, Alex found herself smiling.

Then everything came to a screeching halt when they heard shouting and a loud banging coming from inside the warehouse.

Roy and Curtis drug Elliot into the room and threw him on the floor at Olivia's feet.

He fell, face first onto the concrete floor. There was blood seeping from a cut in the back of his head. He tried to push himself up off the floor, but his energy was waning and his eyes rolled back as he tried to focus.

Everything happened so fast that Olivia barely had time to process everything that had just happened. Liv bent down and scooped him up into a sitting position.

He sat on the floor with his back propped up against the side of her chest.

"Elliot?" She could see him breathing and trying to open his eyes. She patted his cheek to get him to open his eyes more.

Alex rushed over to Elliot's side and bent down near him. She examined the wound in the back of his head. It was small, possibly from the shovel since there was dirt surrounding the area of impact. Although the cut was small, head injuries always caused massive blood loss.

"Well, isn't this cute?" Dean said, un amused, "a family reunion." He looked at the two men that had drug him in there. "It looks like you guys need to dig another hole."

Alex looked up at Dean. She started to formulate in her head what he meant by digging another hole. He didn't plan on letting them get out of there alive. _No way, not after I've come this far._ She looked over at Olivia who was tending to Elliot.

Then she got up and charged at Curtis. She let out a scream that sounded like a battle call as she rammed him into the lockers.

Curtis was so taken aback by the sudden outburst that he didn't have time to react before he felt his head being pounded into the lockers.

Olivia's eyes got wide as she watched Alex charge at the man. She was for once unsure how to react and so she sat frozen.

Elliot began to wake and he propped himself up.

Dean rolled his eyes and looked over at Roy. "Take care of that will you."

Roy coolly made his way over to Alex and pried her off of him.

Curtis stumbled back towards Dean.

Roy then pushed Alex against the lockers. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "No one will save you this time." He bit her shoulder and she screamed out in pain.

Olivia jumped up and tried to pull Roy off of Alex, but his strength outweighed hers and he pushed her off him. She landed on her back in the middle of the room.

"Stop right there." A clicking noise was heard and the whole room froze at the sound of the commanding voice coming from the doorway. "I said, let her go." Nate's voice was unmistakable. He held a gun to the back of Dean's head.

Roy released his grip on Alex and she ran over to Olivia.

Dean began to try to turn but froze once again.

"I said, don't move. I will not hesitate to shoot you," Nate said in his calm but demanding power.

Dean put his hands up, "Let's think this out Kendall. If you shoot me, you won't make it out of here alive."

"Then let's all hope it doesn't come to that," Nate said

"What do you want?" Dean asked.

"Let them out of here." Nate looked down at Alex with pain in his eyes, not because he liked her, but because there was something about her demeanor that reminded him of his little girl.

"And if I do?" Dean sensed Kendall's weak spot. He put his hands back down at his side.

"Then I let you live." Nate hissed into Porter's ear.

At that, Dean quickly dodged his head to the side. A bullet whizzed by his face, nicking his ear. He spun around and hit Nate's arm. The gun flew to the ground. Dean grabbed Nate by the neck and held him in a choke hold.

Roy rushed at the women, determined to this time take one of them down.

Elliot picked up the gun. He slowly clambered to one knee, took aim, click, boom!

Roy went down. He was shot in the chest.

Elliot spun toward the other man in the room, but Curtis had run out the door. El pushed up on his knee to help himself stand. He held the gun in his left hand and pointed it at Dean. His right arm had been injured when he attacked the two men earlier, so he held it in tightly to his chest.

Dean let Nate go and he fell to the ground gasping for air.

"In my back pocket," Kendall managed to murmur out.

Olivia bent down and grabbed the cuffs out of Nate's pocket. She grabbed Dean and pushed his face, perhaps a little too aggressively, into one of the walls. She wrapped his arms around his back and haughtily spoke, "Dean Porter, you are under arrest."

Before she could finish merandizing him, Kendall stood to his feet and spoke again, "We got company. We need to get out of here quick." He could see three men charging toward them, each with guns.

Elliot grabbed Alex and pushed her out the door first and then followed her off to the left. They hid behind the old machines and crept toward the door. Nate ripped off some of his shirt and gagged Dean with it. Then he, Dean, and Olivia followed behind Elliot and Alex.

"My car isn't too far." Elliot said as the two of them moved behind another machine closer to the door.

Alex peeked around the machines. The men were getting closer. "There's no way all five of us will make it." She looked at Elliot. He was still pale from the loss of blood and was walking with a limp. "Give me the keys," she said. "I'll go get the car and bring it back."

Elliot looked at Alex, trying his best to make a quick decision. Liv, Dean, and Nate were pretty far behind them and Alex was probably right. They wouldn't all make it. Three guns against one wins just about every time and since he was the one with the gun, he had to cover his partners back. So, he dug in his pocket and brought out the keys. He handed them to her and said, "It's just past the front entrance in an open lot. You can't miss it."

She grabbed the keys and crept toward the exit. The door moaned as she opened it and the three men went running in her direction. She heard them shouting and ran as fast as she could.

Elliot jumped out from behind the machine and took a shot at the men. It caught their attention and they scattered.

Fire rained in on his location. Shots bounced off the heavy machinery and clanged against the ground and metal. Clips fell to the floor in an incessant clank.

Somehow Alex managed to make it to Elliot's car. She had hoped the fence and started the ignition. She backed the car up into the street. The gate was closed. It was in her line of vision. She put the car in drive and floored the gas pedal.

In the midst of the gun fire, Nate managed to slink away toward another exit. He slipped out a back door, leaving Olivia and Dean behind.

Liv stayed pressed up against a machine. There was not going to be an easy way for her to move Dean and so she insisted the Nate go.

When the fire ceased, Elliot darted toward another machine closer to the exit Alex took.

The three men were walking toward his previous location.

Elliot heard his car and dashed out the door. He knew his only hope was to get in the car and try and out shoot and out maneuver the three men. He had no way of protecting his partner except to draw the men out of the building, and so he did.

They followed him with tunnel vision.

Olivia stood up and grabbed Dean. She stealthily moved him toward the same exit.

Alex screeched the car to a halt when she saw Elliot. She flung open the passenger door for him and he hoped inside. "Where's Olivia?"

"She's still inside with Dean."

Panic lines formed across Alex's face.

Elliot took what little time they had to look her directly in the eyes and spoke softly, "Don't worry; we'll get her out alive." He said this to convince himself as well for he was unsure of what the outcome would be.

Then they heard a loud blast and their back windshield shattered. Alex peeled out.

The three men each took a shot in her direction. The bullets bounced off the car.

"I'm going to ask you to do something Alex, and it's going to sound crazy." Elliot looked over at the already terrified woman. "Can you trust me?"

Alex looked at the dirt road ahead. The end of the building was coming into view and there was no exit to be had there. She looked at Elliot. "Yes," she said determined and scared to death.

"I need you to turn the car around and aim at the guy standing closest to the building."

Alex barely slowed down enough to turn without flipping the car. Dirt flew into the air as she gunned it. Shots fired; this time directly at them. The speeding car threw off the precise aim of the shooters and the bullets flew past them. Alex came up closer to the men. Seized with fear, she took aim, closed her eyes, and only slowed down after she heard a loud thump.

One of the perps flew into the air and landed hard on the ground behind them. He laid splayed out like a character drawn out with white chalk in a comic book. He didn't move.

Alex stomped on the breaks and the car came screeching to a halt. Elliot opened his passenger side door and tumbled out. He took aim at the two remaining perps who had managed to jump out of the way of the car.

One of the men, the lieutenant of the operation, brought his gun back up in Elliot's direction.

Elliot didn't hesitate. He fired.

The lieutenant fell to the ground in a mass of his own blood.

Elliot pointed his gun at the next target.

Curtis raised his hands. "Ok, I give up."

Elliot stood up off the ground, he moved in closer. "Step away from your weapon."

Curtis moved away from his gun and kept his hands in the air.

Alex sat frozen in the car. Her arms were stiffly attached to the steering wheel as she tried to digest everything. _She had just run over a man. She'd just KILLED a man. _

Olivia peeked out the exit of the warehouse and when she saw the scene displayed before her; then she dragged Dean out too. She walked toward the back of the car with Dean where one of the men, the guy who had been patrolling the building, lie face down in the dirt.

Then, as if out of nowhere, the sky lit up. A loud blast sounded and fire filled the atmosphere above them.

Olivia ducked for cover at the surprise blast.

At that same moment, Dean, seeing his moment of opportunity, darted out of Olivia's grasp. He managed to spit out his gag that he had been working on. He bent down near the dead body and picked up the pistol the laid beside the man. He held it behind his back because his hands were still cuffed there.

His movements were so fast, so fluid, that Olivia didn't have time to recognize what he had done. Then she saw the car starting to move.

He had managed to jump in the car. He pointed the gun at a still frozen Alex. "Drive," he growled.

Alex managed to take her foot off the brake and began to drive on autopilot.

Olivia ran after the car. She quickly caught up to it. She opened the passenger door and before Dean could react, she pulled him out and wrestled him to the ground.

Alex stopped the car and managed to put it in park. She walked around the car and watched Olivia wrestle Dean onto the ground.

Liv sat on top of Porter. He lay on his side, hands still cuffed behind his back. His face lay half in the dirt. She held the gun to his temple. "Give me one good reason NOT to pull this trigger," she yelled.

Alex stepped closer to Olivia and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Liv," she whispered.

Olivia's rigid body relaxed but she kept the gun trained on his temple.

Dean fought for words, "Because we once had something good."

Olivia pulled back the lock on the gun. It clicked. "Our feelings don't matter," she said and then threw the gun on the floor, far out of his grasp.

Alex gently pulled Olivia off of Dean. "Come on," she said and pulled her away from the scene.


	14. Chapter 14: The Aftermath

Chapter 14: The Aftermath

Olivia placed her hands on the trunk of the car and she leaned over it to catch her breath while letting her blood pressure return to normal.

Alex stood behind her watching as she slowly began to relax. She placed a gentle hand on her back. "Are you ok Liv?"

Olivia's eyesight began to slowly work its way up Alex's body. Alex had endured more here than she had. Her pants were muddy and torn. Her shirt had been ripped to pieces, and her tank, actually Olivia's tank, had been cut up the middle. Her arms showed a plethora of fresh bruises that had to be hurting, and her jaw had already turned brown from an earlier punch. Her startling eyes were focused on Olivia, intensely concerned.

Olivia quickly let go of her position on the car and turned to face Alex. She pushed up her sleeves and began frantically searching Alex to make sure she was still in one piece. "Oh god 'Lex, are YOU ok?"

Alex clenched her jaw uncertainly, trying to hold back the tears that only now threatened to escape. She stood there letting Olivia fuss over her as she let her mind drift back over the recent events. Her gaze fell beside her where the man she hit lay on the ground. She flinched when Liv brushed her cheek gently, the bruise hurt.

Liv pushed Alex's hair back out of her face. "Alex, come back to me," Liv pleaded.

Alex turned to face Olivia once again and suddenly took Liv's face in her hands and pulled them close together. She unabashedly placed her lips over Olivia's and kissed her passionately. The emotions of the day were finally being let out.

Liv was taken aback by the sudden shift in mood, but brought her hands up Alex's back and kissed her back.

Dean groggily rolled on his side as he watched them kiss. Then he heard a scarping sound in the background. It sounded like metal being drug over dirt and pebbles. He only saw Elliot standing over him for a second.

Elliot stood over Dean. "Don't you ever mess with my partner again," he growled, and then he brought the shovel up and hit him over the head- not too hard, but hard enough to knock him out. He dropped the shovel and pulled his hurt arm back into his chest and cradled it. "And that's payback for hitting me over the head."

Alex closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. Her forehead still rested on Olivia's. She panted to regain her breath. After her capture, after the night they spent together, and after their escape, there was no way she was going to let Olivia go.

Liv let her forehead remain on Alex's for a moment longer after she heard Dean being knocked out. She glanced to the side and saw Elliot walking toward them.

Somewhere in the background, sirens were starting to go off and several police vehicles, along with several fire trucks and ambulances began making their way toward the warehouse. At about the same time, Nate hobbled back through the building and out the other entrance. "Hope you don't mind, but I called them."

He clutched a piece of cloth that he had tied to his leg.

"Where the hell did you go?" Elliot asked him.

A gruff smile formed. "Just had to take care of a little business," was all the excuse that he gave them, but they all saw the burnt pant leg. They could see some burnt skin on one of his hands and on the side of his leg where he held the cloth. The explosion had been Nate blowing up the Meth lab on the opposite side of the Warehouse.

By the looks on their faces and the furtive glances at his third degree burns, he knew they knew what had happened. "Hey, we don't know who else was working with Dean. Who's to say the DEA wouldn't have gotten their hands on this stuff and then 'lost' the evidence?" He hobbled toward them.

Alex looked at the cars that were rapidly approaching. "Who's to say you didn't sustain those injuries while fighting for your life?"

Nate smiled at her curtly and then, with a scowl across his brow, he limped toward the closest ambulance.

All the officials began swarming the area. An EMT kneeled beside the guy that Alex had hit and felt for a pulse. "He's still alive!" he yelled, and another EMT rushed over and they quickly put him on a gurney and sped off toward a hospital.

Dean was beginning to come back around as they placed him on a gurney.

They had Elliot strapped in the back of another ambulance and had just finished looking over Olivia's and Alex's wounds. Both of them had been cleared as they were only covered in minor scratches and bruises.

"I'm heading to the hospital with Elliot," Olivia said. "You want to come?" she asked Alex.

Alex shook her head. "All I want is to crawl into my own bed and sleep for the next three days."

"Ok," Olivia said and then gave her a quick peck on the lips before jumping into the back of the ambulance with Elliot.

Alex smiled as she watched them head off to the hospital, but then suddenly felt so alone. She then climbed into a car with a local police officer that had offered to drive her back to her apartment in the city.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia sat in a chair next to Elliot. She idly flipped through a magazine article as they sat there waiting for his family to arrive.

They had cleaned out his head wound and wrapped it in a bandage. He had to have a few stitches there too, so the bandage wrapped all the way around his head. His arm was already in a cast and he was receiving antibiotics to keep any infections from forming.

"Look, this could be you." Olivia said, and laughed as she held up a magazine add. The ad showed a man wrapped head to toe in white bandages with his arm in a cast and his leg wrapped and hoisted in the air.

"Ha, ha, funny Liv." He half heartedly joked back at her. "Seeing as it was your ass I was trying to save, I'm not sure you should be making fun of me here," he playfully added.

Liv smirked and put the magazine down on the side table. She turned in her seat so she was facing her partner. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "Things could have gone a lot worse."

He lifted his good arm and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know," he said. "And yet, somehow you're sitting here babysitting a grown man instead of heading back to where you really want to go."

Olivia looked down at her clasped hands. "You're my partner El. I had to make sure you were ok."

"And now you can see that I am." He smirked and then tilted his head. "Go Liv, she needs you too."

At that moment, Kathy, the twins, and Eli burst through the room. Olivia slowly got up and excused herself. She stood at the door and watched as his family grouped around him. Eli had started crying and Elliot was already cradling him and telling him it was ok and that'd he'd be better soon.

Liv looked down and smiled. Then she headed out of the hospital, still dressed in her muddied attire.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Alex opened the door of her quiet apartment and slinked back up against it. She sighed heavily. She was happy to finally be back in her own apartment and out of danger, and yet she now felt the eerie silence that made her feel so alone.

She treaded heavily toward her bedroom and let her clothes fall off her body, not caring where they landed, as she made her way to the bathroom. She stood in the shower and let the water wash over her. She scrubbed her chest hard where Roy had almost touched her and where he had bit her. She let the water wash over her body for the better part of an hour. Afterwards, she managed to climb out of the shower.

She sat down at her vanity, wrapped in her white bathrobe, and started brushing out her long blonde hair. She stared at herself in the mirror. She gently touched the side of her chin, examining the bruise left there. She pulled her robe to the side and examined the bite mark on her shoulder and shuddered.

Quickly she got up and went to her dresser. She picked out a long sleeved college shirt and pulled it over her head. Then she pulled out some plaid sleep capri's and pulled them on too. She was about to crawl into bed and drift off into a knowingly restless sleep when she heard a knock at her door.

Puzzled, she walked to the door and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me," a muffled voice said through the door, "Olivia."

Alex smiled and opened the door. There before her stood a still disheveled Olivia. Her clothes were still somewhat dirty and torn, and her hair was a tangled mess. She quickly joined Alex on the other side of the door.

"I lost you go once . . .and I'm not letting you go again."Olivia said.

"I had no intention of letting you." Alex grinned at the look of fierce determination in Olivia's eyes. "Now," Alex continued as she took Olivia's hand and led her to the bathroom, "You look like you could use some cleaning up. I'll lay out some fresh pj's for you."

Olivia didn't even think twice before climbing into the shower.

Alex reentered the bathroom with a fresh pair of clothing for her. She laid them on the counter and for but a moment watched the slightly skewed form of Olivia's body as she washed. Then Alex turned and left the bathroom. Finally, she didn't feel so alone. While Olivia's presence was literally near her, it wasn't the closeness that made her feel comforted. She knew Olivia had no intentions of leaving her, and for that, she wouldn't ever be alone again.

Olivia dried off and then slipped into the t-shirt and shorts Alex had brought. When she reentered the bedroom, she saw Alex's form sleeping peacefully curled up in her bed. Olivia smiled and then climbed up in bed with her.

The movement was a pleasant awakening as Alex shifted to make room for Olivia. She curled up into Liv's back and let Liv wrap her arm over her, surrendering once again into the night's sleep, finally with the woman she loved.

**A/N: I think I'll add one or two more chapters to wrap up the story and deal with Dean and Harris. Perhaps it should it include a love scene as well? Anything else yall'd like to see? ^-^ Reviews loved! **


	15. Chapter 15: The Message

Chapter 15: The Message

**A/N: Well, this chapter took a little longer than normal b/c I was waiting for some inspiration. Hopefully the length will make up for that as it is very long! I had a lot I wanted to include and didn't feel like breaking it up. And I have Alex do something that I've wanted her to for a long time but hadn't figured out how to include it, so here it is. And, this chapter is m for language, but next chapter might be m for other reasons…**

It had been one week since that night at the abandoned warehouse. The detectives and Alex had all given their statements and had been cleared by IAB. Any death was looked into by that department, so it was no wonder that they came digging after Elliot shot three of the perps. Even Nate's actions had been cleared and they were looking into reinstating him into the narcotics department.

Olivia left her apartment that morning in a particularly content mood. The night before had left a giddy expression on her face and she couldn't help but smile. Although they had been dating for only a little over a week, she and Alex rarely got to go out on a real date. But they took every chance they got to sneak to the other's place of work or apartment after hours. And last night, Alexandra had been in a particularly flirty mood as they made out on her couch and she suggested certain things she wanted to do with and to the detective.

Olivia had lavished in her words, but in the end decided she wanted to wait. They had taken everything else so fast, and she didn't want to screw up a good thing . . . no pun intended. She also wanted the moment to be just right. She wasn't sure when that would be, but she'd know when it came. So she continued her route to the precinct and enjoyed the brisk air as she walked up the steps to the station.

When she got to her desk, she found a file that had been plopped down right in the middle of the rest of her paperwork. _Great, another case. _When she opened it however, she found that it was not a case, but a list of cases closed thanks to the arrest of Dean Porter. She gazed down at the large stack and flipped through it thoroughly stunned at the amount of cases he'd been a part of.

There was a case a few years back involving a drive by of a young motorist shot right between the eyes. _He had been using the same MO for years,_ she thought. An image of the girl she'd seen in the alley less than two weeks ago was also in the file. His new rap sheet spanned the course of a decade. Most cases involved drugs, but some were just cold blooded murders. She rubbed her temple as she continued looking through the file and was about to close it when the picture she next saw froze her in place.

Chills ran down her spine. It was a picture of Harris, but this time he had a black eye, and a bruised lip. Her glance fell down the file to read over the content.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

**Two Days Earlier**

Dean stood close to the bars of his prison cell looking down at the cells across from him on the floor below him. He could see Harris from his cell and anger burned from deep within him. He had just found out the whole story behind Nate's appearance at his warehouse. It had been because that low-life had let him in. Harris was supposed to be his partner. Even while in prison, Dean had kept Harris stocked and supplied. In return, he gained access to the best dirty cops around enabling him to grow his empire even more rapidly. Yet, Lowell's one wrong move had brought it all crashing down. He seethed with rage.

Harris stood up from his position on the lower bunk when he saw the gaze that peered down at him from above. He walked to the bars and met Porter's gaze with one of his own. Harris had learnt of the betrayal the first night that Dean had been brought in. He knew it was only a matter of time before it got back to him and he had begun to make his own preparations, because he knew what would happen once Porter found out the truth, and it hadn't taken him long.

It was now a war. The alarm sounded and the gates all slid back with a loud rusty clang. Both men stepped from their cages, their eyes glued in a death stare. Even when the CO's came by to do a roll call, their stares stayed headstrong. If you had been in the prison long enough, you could feel it. You could feel the tension in the air as inmates took sides.

The prisoners were escorted outside for their free time, but no one played basketball or lifted weights that day. No, they were all preparing for what was to come. They stayed on their sides of the grounds, huddled, ready, and waiting. But nothing happened.

Then lunch came, and there was an eerie silence that filled the lunch room. Lunch ladies dumped ladles of soup and coleslaw on the trays and the prisoners each took their trays to the tables. One of Harris's men tripped a newbie and he fell to the floor and soup splashed up into his face. He tried to get up, but a much stronger foot placed on his back held him down. Harris laughed easily.

Then it happened, one of Porter's men casually walked up behind the man with his foot on the boy and as he walked by, he shoved a shank into his kidney. The man writhed on the floor as he bled out. Then the lunch room erupted. Alarms sounded and guards rushed in. But the prisoners were already out of control. Men flew fists at each other with intensity and it was hard to make heads or tails of who was on whose side. Then again, did it really matter? A fight was a fight, and you had to fight to save your own skin in prison.

Porter walked through a daze of prisoners, occasionally having to knock someone out if they got too close to him, as he made his way to his desired target.

Harris saw him approaching, and backed up slightly. He knew how good his aim was; if they were outside of these walls, Harris knew he'd have a bullet between his eyes. But here, the fight was more evened out, and now, Harris had a one up. The night before, he had sharpened his toothbrush into a long shank, and he had every intention of using it on Porter . . . to the death.

Dean took a swing at him, but Lowell ducked his blow and instead landed a solid punch in Porter's left side. Dean hunched over and grasped at his side and Harris took his elbow and hit him over the head. Dean fell to the floor, but quickly rolled to the side, avoiding a kick from Harris. Porter hefted himself back up, although he didn't stand quiet as tall now. Then Dean caught Harris in a swift uppercut and Harris flew backwards.

Dean stood taller after the hit he made and hovered over Harris gloating as the man stumbled backward, grasping his chin. Dean landed a left hook in the right side of Lowell's face and a right sucker punch in his gut.

Harris was on his knees now and Porter was coming at him to deliver what looked like a fatal blow. Harris reached around to his back pocket and pulled out his shank. When Porter got closer and was just about to land another punch to his face, Harris brought the shank out from behind him and plunged it into Porter's side.

The sudden pain caught Dean by surprise and this time he stumbled backwards clutching his side with the shank still in it. Harris kept his hand on his shank and stood up as Porter began to back up. Blood had begun to drip from Dean's mouth and he knew he'd hit a good spot. Lowell brought his face in close to Deans and a cruel smile formed as he began to twist the shank.

But Porter was a fighter, and trained by the FBI, there was no way he was going down like this. He grabbed the first thing his hand could get a hold of, a white dinner plate, and he brought it up and bashed Harris over his head with it. The plate shattered and Harris went down. Porter grabbed at the shank and ripped it out of his side.

Blood spurted from his side and he covered the wound with his left hand. Slowly, he knelt down over Harris's limp form. He brought the shank up to make a final plunge when he was hit in the back of the head with a riot stick. Both men lay bleeding in a heap on the floor.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

**The Present **

Olivia flipped the file so that Elliot could read it. She waited patiently for his response.

Elliot gruffed, "So they attacked each other . . ."

Olivia nodded satisfied. "And they'll both be moving to solitary for a long time, if not the remainder of their stint."

Elliot let out a small laugh and said, "Which, judging by the size of that file will be life for Porter, and since it was Harris's shank, that's an extra five to ten."

Olivia smiled to herself and looked down at the file again. She wouldn't have to worry about these bastards for a long time. She was about to close the file when she saw a statement that popped out at her. It was a statement from Harris and his words were meant to be his statement against Porter, but the words rung stunningly familiar in her mind. She read them over and over and suddenly knew that this was meant for her. Harris was smart and knew that Olivia would read the file. She read over the words again, "I was going to take my time, but he plead with me not to. He begged me to stop. I had his face up against the wall and told him to shut up. He got in a few good hits, but he was just playing games that I knew. His ass was mine, and he knew it too because I was the one in charge. He got away, but he should know, this isn't over yet. I will haunt him for the rest of his life. Every time he falls asleep, he will see me, because now I'm in his head."

Olivia slammed the file shut, a reaction not totally missed by Elliot, but one that didn't alarm him either.

Olivia put the file away and dug out the keys to the squad car. "I've got to go across town to get some statements," she said to Elliot.

He looked up from his pile of paperwork and asked, "Oh, you want me to come?"

Olivia looked as if she was considering it, but then said, "No, she'd probably feel better talking to a female detective. I'll handle it."

Elliot raised an eyebrow at her, but she walked out of the precinct without a second glance and so he continued filling out his mounting pile of paperwork.

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia had spent most of the afternoon mulling over the script. _Had Harris really been trying to get a message to her? Surely it was just his way of playing games with her mind. _After her third cup of coffee, she climbed back into the squad car and headed to the maximum security prison that Harris had been moved to. She knew he was just trying to get under her skin and the fact that she was driving out there now proved that it was working. She kept the car moving at an easy pace, she had no intention of letting him have the last word. Perhaps it was a bit prideful, but she had all she needed now and she didn't want the memory of his face in the back of her mind.

She remembered sitting on the back steps of a victim's porch one day not too long ago. The victim had been scared to testify and in a rare moment, Liv had opened up to the victim. She had told her about the assault and had admitted that it had traumatized her for a while, but that after counseling she had gotten better. She'd also said that she'd never be fully over it, and perhaps that was true, but she was now determined to face him once more. What had happened was over, and he had no right to lord it over her. She was ready to put him in his place.

But she couldn't prepare herself for the encounter enough. She approached him fully confident, ready and willing to go into battle with the already battle sore Harris.

He grinned when he saw her. "I knew you'd get my message O Liv i a." He drew out her name.

"Oh I got it alright." She took a seat menacingly close to him on top of the table. "You're pathetic, and I want you to see just how much I don't care." She was in his face, her eyes searched his. She was a demanding presence in the room, and there was no stopping her when she got like this. She squinted her eyes and whispered in his ear, "You see, while you're in here all locked up, I'm out there living. You and you're little dick NEVER cross my mind." She sat back up and waited for his reply.

He let a small smirk form in the side of his mouth before he said, "Well you know what I heard?"

Olivia raised her eyebrows in an effort to show she was curious, but it really didn't matter.

So he continued, "I heard you were now dating a lovely ADA. You see, I think that's because you're scared you'll see me every time you fuck."

That statement stunned Olivia. She _had_ been a lot more careful whom she'd dated after her attack, because he _was_ partly right. She glared back at him and said, "Nothing could be further from my mind. After I leave here today, I'm never coming back, and you're going to rot inside this hell hole." She got up from her seat and started to head out the door. She had her hand on the knob when he called back out.

"No one will want you, you know. You've got too much baggage."

Liv turned to face him once more and simply said, "You're wrong."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Tears formed in her throat on the ride back. And his words began to sink into her as she mulled over them, but this time instead of going to her apartment, she headed towards Alex's.

Alex had just gotten home and had barely taken off her shoes when Olivia knocked on the door. She let her in, and by the rushed movements knew something was wrong.

Olivia was standing in the middle of her living room flustered. She spun around to face Alex. "Do I come with too much baggage?"

Alex looked at her incredulously. "Are you kidding Liv?" She stepped in closer to her girlfriend, "Where did you get that idea?"

Olivia put her hands on her hips and looked up. Then she met Alex's gaze again and said, "It was just something Harris said."

"What!" Alex stepped in closer to Olivia, "You went and saw Harris again?"

Olivia tried to back up, defending her actions, but she let her body slump, visibly defeated. She turned away from Alex's penetrating gaze and looked around the tidy apartment. "Alex, I have so much damage in my past . . . How could you ever love someone like me?"

Now that statement infuriated Alex. She grabbed Olivia's arm and spun her around. She began to unbutton her shirt, and for a moment, Olivia wasn't sure exactly what was going on and just stared at her. Then Alex took it off and threw it to the floor. "Do you see this Olivia?"

Liv saw where she was pointing, and tears formed in her throat once again. "Yes," she whispered.

Alex grabbed Olivia's hand and pushed it up against her scar. She let Liv feel the wounds lumpy edges. "All those years ago when I was shot, it was YOU who saved me Liv. It was YOU I came back for. It has always been you that I loved." She waited for her words to sink in before she moved Liv's hand over to just above her left breast. "And it's you that my heart wants. We all come with baggage Liv, but I love you no matter what."

Olivia saw the sincerity in Alex's eyes, and felt the quickened pulse in her chest. And it wasn't Harris's face she saw when she grabbed Alex and pulled her in close and their lips met in fevering need. No, she saw only Alex, and the images the filled her mind now, put a low need curling in her gut.


	16. Chapter 16: Evident

Chapter 16: Evident

**A/N: So, this will definitely be the last chapter of this story, *sad face*. But, these two just totally took off and did their own thing, so what I expected to be a short and sweet love scene took off into multiple pages ^-^ teehee. Mature Audience only Pleeze!**

Her eyes were closed and she could feel Alex's lips full against hers as Alex sucked on her bottom lip. Olivia rocked gently, unable to stand still. Her lips parted and Alex's tongue claimed hers and she pushed it into her mouth. Alex's tongue moved effortlessly around in her mouth, claiming it, owning it, and Liv loved the sensation.

Olivia's hand was still over Alex's heart as she could feel it beating wildly underneath her touch. Her own heartbeat grew louder as she felt the heaving of Alex's breast every time she breathed. She broke the kiss and laid her head down on Alex's shoulder. Her breathing was still erratic and she tried to regain her breath. "Alex . . ."

Alex let her head fall up as she panted and let oxygen refill her lungs. At the mention of her name, she brought her head back down to rest on the side of Olivia's. She reached up and stroked her fingers through her hair and she gently rocked as she tried in vain to regain her poise, because Olivia was now placing gentle kisses across her chest and shoulder. But she had to be prepared to stop of Liv still wasn't ready.

"Alex," she said again. She let her lips trail across Alex's left shoulder and up her neck. She felt her pulse with her lips. Then she whispered into her ear, "I want nothing more right now than you."

Alex closed her eyes again as she felt a hitch in her breathing. The case was over, they were safe together, and Harris was out of her mind. Alex looked down at Liv and brushed the hair out of her face so she could see her eyes. "And I want nothing more than you if you're ready."

Olivia closed her eyes and saw only Alex in her mind; yes she was ready, so ready. She kept her head on Alex's shoulder and she ran her left hand over Alex's bra, over her breast. She felt her heart beat, and the way her chest heaved with each breath, and the way her head rolled back in pleasure as her fingers gently slid along the inside rim of her bra.

Alex brought both hands behind Olivia's head and brought her lips back up to hers once more in feverish need.

Olivia kept her hands moving over Alex's chest. She slid her fingers underneath the straps of Alex's bra and slid them off her shoulders, exposing more of her chest. Olivia's lips left Alex's and she brought them down her chest and just over the soft top of Alex's right breast. She let one arm snake around Alex's back and un-snap her bra. It fell to the floor between them.

Alex stood back and let Olivia gaze at her. She felt the detectives gaze and smiled at the longing in Liv's eyes.

She had felt her girlfriend's breasts before, had felt her skin, and the reaction to her touch, but she had never gazed at them so openly, so longingly. She needed to feel Alex's skin against her own, now. She pulled Alex in close and hefted her up onto her hips.

Alex responded to Olivia's urgings by wrapping her legs around Liv's back. She wrapped her arms around her neck and brought her lips over Olivia's as she was effortlessly carried to her bedroom and thrown on her bed.

Olivia quickly lifted her shirt and tank over her head and let them fall to the ground. She climbed up in the bed and pushed Alex's legs apart as she crawled in between them and lowered her lips to Alex's breast. At first she gently sucked, and as Alex let out a soft moan, she more aggressively played with her nipple, twirling it around her tongue and lightly biting it.

Liv let her hand trail from one breast down the middle of Alex's abdomen. She let her fingers lightly trail over her sensitive spot just inside her hip and Alex's body arched up slightly at the touch. Then she took her hand and slid it under Alex's pants, under her underwear, and all the way down.

Alex's back arched more and she let out a pleasant groan as she felt Liv's hand in between her thighs.

Olivia brought her mouth up to Alex's neck and whispered into her ear, "You weren't kidding about wanting me hmm?" She let her fingers bask in her wetness without moving too much, it was still a tight fit with Alex's pants on.

Alex pushed Liv off of her and onto her back. This time she had the upper hand. She slid her hand behind Liv's back, unsnapped her bra, and practically ripped it off her. She greedily took Olivia's breast in her mouth and let her other hand explore her other breast. She teased her and pinched her wildly.

Olivia writhed underneath Alex. Torrents of feelings were overwhelming her. The feeling of their bare skin as it touched, the feeling of Alex's mouth over her breasts, and the feeling of Alex's hands all over her body. "Alex," she groaned in need.

Alex moved her mouth up Olivia's chest and up her neck and to her ear. "I love hearing you call my name like that," she purred into her ear.

Olivia bit her lip and her eyes flickered between Alex's. _God that woman is beautiful. _Olivia propped herself up on her elbows and nipped at Alex's lips, but Alex kept them just out of reach. Olivia followed her and sat up fully in bed, but Alex was still teasing her. She playfully pushed Alex back on the bed.

Alex let out a squeal of giddy amusement and she flipped over on the bed, burying her face in the pillow.

Olivia thought the shy tactic was adorable. She leaned in and let her mouth trail kisses up Alex's spine, and watched as goose bumps formed along her skin.

"Mmm" Alex bit her lips together and grasped the pillows as she felt Olivia's mouth covering her back.

Olivia then sat up and pulled Alex up with her. They were both on their knees and Olivia's breasts were pushed up against Alex's back. Alex lightly grinded up against Olivia and Liv let out a soft moan. Then Olivia tugged at the button on Alex's pants. She unzipped them and slid her hands down the side of Alex's waist and pulled them down. She pushed her back down on the bed once more so she could wriggle the pants all the way off.

And Alex lay there, on her back, now fully naked and let Olivia's gaze wonder across her body. She had never liked that feeling of total exposure, but right now, nothing seemed more right and she basked in the looks of her lover. But she didn't stay there long; because she needed Olivia completely undressed too. So she sat up and her face was inches away from Olivia's as she reached down and unbuttoned her pants. Slowly, tortuously, and without breaking eye contact, she unbuttoned Olivia's pants. She slid them down to her knees, keeping her underwear on, and then gently lowered Liv onto her back.

Liv kicked off her pants, but kept her eyes on Alex's.

Alex brought a knee up between Liv's legs and crawled over her body. Then she pushed her knee up between Olivia's thighs and watched Olivia's reaction.

She broke the eye contact with that touch and her head rolled back and her body arched up. She pushed against Alex's knee, needing more contact, demanding it.

Alex saw no trace of a flashback, felt no shudder of insecurity, and heard no ounce of regret. All she heard was desire as Olivia breathlessly said her name. So Alex let her gaze fall over Olivia's body and let her mouth fall and tenderly placed a kiss over her breast, over her stomach, just under her belly button, and then let her mouth trail lower. Her mouth kissed the insides of Olivia's thighs, and she felt as they almost imperceptibly opened more to her. She let her mouth fall on Olivia's center, still over the underwear, but already she could feel how wet she was. Her lips lightly kissed her there, and Olivia's hips tilted up in need of more touch.

Alex slid her fingers under the waistband of Olivia's underwear and slowly slid them down, giving her time to enjoy every inch of Olivia's body. Then she tossed the underwear to the floor and pulled Olivia closer to her so that the movements Alex knew she would soon be eliciting from Olivia, didn't send her backwards off the bed.

She climbed back up over Olivia and let her head fall in the crevice between Liv's neck and shoulder. "I want to show you something," she seductively whispered into Liv's ear as she grabbed Olivia's hand and maneuvered it down between Liv's thighs.

Olivia moaned when she felt how wet she was and moved her hand to Alex's thigh, but it was quickly moved back above her head.

"You might want to hold onto something for this," Alex teased in her ear, but Olivia gripped the sheets above her anyways.

Alex let her hand slide down between Olivia's thighs; let her fingers slide between her folds, and down to her opening. She let her fingers linger there while she kept her gaze on Olivia's face.

Olivia's hips tilted up, still needing more touch.

Alex felt the movement and she bit the tip of Olivia's ear. "Tell me what you'd like for me to do to you right now." Apparently Alex was in a playful mood and she wanted to know exactly what Olivia wanted, partly because she didn't want to encounter a flashback since she knew Olivia had just went and saw him again. If she kept her talking, focused on what Alex was doing, then she knew she'd be fully aware it was Alex doing these things to her. Only Alex. Plus, it was just so fucking sexy.

Olivia could barely hear Alex. She only felt the sensations between her thighs and felt a pulse pounding with pleasure in her head. She only faintly could make out what Alex was saying. She grinded her hips down making Alex's fingers place more pressure against her opening.

"Tell me," Alex whispered.

Olivia opened her eyes and turned to look at Alex. "I want your fingers inside me now."

Alex wasted no time, she plunged two fingers deep inside Olivia, eliciting a response she knew she'd get.

Olivia gasped, and her body rocked with the pressure and release of Alex's thrusts. She gripped the sheets above her head as she moaned in pleasure.

Alex kept the motion steady for a while until she pulled them out and sent Olivia's body squirming for touch.

"Ohh, Alex," Olivia breathlessly moaned and her hips searched for the elusive touch. "More," she panted, "more . . ."

Alex grinned at her statements, but it wasn't quite what she wanted to hear. She took Olivia's lips in her own and sucked on them. "Is there something else you'd like me to use?" she asked.

"Mmmhmm," Olivia rasped out between breaths. "Please baby. . ."

Alex began to slowly snake her body down Olivia's. "Please baby what?" Alex teased again.

Olivia tilted her pelvis toward Alex, but Alex wouldn't appease her. "Mphh, your mouth baby."

Oh Alex enjoyed watching every minute of her squirm under her elusive touch, but she loved even more the sounds Olivia made when her tongue circled her opening, before dipping all the way in. She loved the way she moved underneath her when her tongue flicked over her clit. And she loved the way Olivia felt when her legs began to shake, her stomach muscles tightened.

She inserted two of her fingers inside Olivia again and mercilessly sucked on her clit. Olivia's body arched up and Alex changed her movements. She kept her fingers inside and she glanced up at Olivia.

Olivia's body fell to the bed When Alex's mouth released her, but her body didn't stay still. She needed Alex to make her come. She looked down at Alex.

And Alex grinned up at her as she made sure Liv watched as she quickly flicked her tongue over her clit. Her fingers began a quicker pulse and her mouth resumed sucking on Olivia until Liv could no longer watch. Until she had to throw her head back, until she thought her grip on the sheets would surely rip them in half, until her body shook so violently, and until her pulse quickened and she yelled out Alex's name and her body slunk down on the bed. Alex slowly removed her fingers, but left her hand down between Olivia's thighs as she made her way up to Olivia's neck and once more placed a gentle kiss there and laid her head down.

Olivia felt the throbbing slowly deescalate and her breathing slowly return to normal. She closed her eyes, wanting to stay in that moment forever, because in that moment, it was just she and Alex. There was no case to worry about, there were no responsibilities, and there was no fear of the past, or of the future, and she knew they had something great. It was something she never wanted to let go of, and if she could help it, she never would. And it didn't matter what would happen in the days ahead. It didn't matter what had happened in the past. No, Alex was all hers and it was evident to her, that they had what could be the best thing anyone could ever hope to find. And that was love.

Slowly, Olivia rolled over to face Alex.

Alex brought her hand up and wrapped it around Liv's back and pulled her in closer.

Olivia nuzzled her head in Alex's shoulder and whispered, "I love you."

Alex smiled and said, "I love you too."


End file.
